The New Star Wars: Joralla
by yella69net
Summary: One thousand years ABY, the Galaxy, yet again, finds itself immersed in conflict. Three factions vie for control of the Galaxy, when suddenly, an unexpected, ancient, and powerful disturbance draws them to the jungle world of Joralla. Follow new, original characters inspired by Star Wars: Legends Canon, as they unravel the mystery of this new power...and a new extra-galactic race!
1. Prologue and Backstory

Prologue

Not so long ago, in a galaxy far, far away….

The Sith and the Jedi, a long and storied history of war and conflict. Though the deeds, and misdeeds, of each are events long past, the 'Old Religion' is still very much alive in this Modern Era of the Galaxy. Starting around 400ABY, both Orders began aggressive expandsion, absorbing, and assimilating smaller systems and worlds bringing more and more civilizations to their respective sides.

Among the many conquered, The Hutts, refusing to assimilate to growing Sith influence, were engaged in a ruthless but short lived campaign. After but a few galactic years of war between the massive Sith Empire and the gangster Hutts, the Hutts were summarily and mercilessly wiped out along with their allies and compatriots. The elimination of the Hutts served as a warning to others of the resolve of this Eternal Sith Empire. Hutt Space then becomes Sith Empire Space, and with it, all its remaining personnel and resources. With funding and personnel from these occupied systems, both orders grow into massive powerful organizations with increasing political as well as corporate pull within the Galaxy.

Over time, and with minor advancements in technology, even a push into Unknown space is met with discovery. With constant discovery of new worlds, species, and hundreds of new civilizations, the ranks of both orders swell even further, as newcomers are swayed, or forced, to either side. More of the Galaxy than ever before is now at the precipice of annihilating itself.

With new ranking systems to correlate with numbers of each faction starting to reach into the millions, we now see teamwork and groups or squads accomplish the goals and pursuits of each faction. Long past are the days of a single wandering Jedi Knight or Sith warrior, as these images and notions are reserved for romantic lore, stories…and recruitment posters. This would lead to massive and world consuming battles between the Sith and Jedi of a war just to come.

The catalyst that sparked the The Last Jedi/Sith War began when the Sith, in 870ABY, struck a hard, fast, and devastating first blow to the Jedi. The coordinated and ruthless initial attack resulted in the destruction of the Jedi Temple as well as key Jedi Outposts, costing the lives of thousands. Jedi numbers and support saw am explosion of new recruits to combat such apathetic and wanton destruction and Sith disregard of life.

At this time, on the front, Force powers and the iconic Light Saber, as well as a great many derivatives, including staves, bows and arrows, pikes and daggers….even the odd battle axe, also are still a common tool of both Jedi and Sith. Incredible feats and shows of Force manipulation are not uncommon, even among the rank and rabble of regular foot soldiers. New powers are, and have been, discovered and once rare powers are now common knowledge, with but a few being forgotten with the passage of so much time. All this, the sheer numbers, new powers, the scales of battles and after 10 years of turmoil, of which some of the bloodiest and costliest battles the Galaxy had ever seen.

As the Sith moved swiftly and ferociously throughout the Galaxy, conquering and subduing…..eliminating all those who would not conform or resisted, their advance is halted after a few key battles. The Jedi manage to push the Sith back beyond the Perlemian Trade Route, freeing 10s of thousands of worlds from Sith tyranny. This resulted in a desperate Sith strike back, the destruction of Coruscant, the Jedi homeworld still rebuilding the Jedi Temple, along with the rest of the system with a yet unknown superweapon. With the power to take out entire systems and the devastation was so total and the loss of innocent life so great, the long and bitter rivalry between Sith and Jedi ended finally when the Jedi sued for peace to end the madness.

This truce, which was proposed just over 300 years ago in 880ABY by the then acting Jedi Grand Master (Jedi Grand Master Ziris). Ziris' proposal was that to end a 3rd Great Galactic War, and prevent further catastrophic loss of life and worlds, the Sith cease hostilities if in return, be allowed to rule a part of the galaxy, not to be interfered with in any way by the Jedi. The Sith, at a surprise to the Jedi, accepted and after drawing a rather large border for their new claim of the Galaxy, remaining behind the Perlemian Trade Route but extending their territory far spin ward into the New Regions of Space (formerly Unknown space) within the Galaxy. The war was brought to an end, only 10 years after it had begun. Those borders remain today, more or less, with the Jedi territories remaining a New Jedi Republic and the Sith forming their own Eternal Empire. While an unpopular notion in its time, given the feelings and opinions towards the Sith and their conspirators, Grand Master Ziris reasoned that for there to be balance, there must exist good and evil, Light and Dark. An unpopular notion indeed, among the conventional older Jedi and especially with those in the worlds and systems who would come to be absorbed into the Empire, but a necessary act for the time as the wise Jedi Grand Master foresaw. And with worlds, homes, and countless lives lost as the direct or even sometimes indirect result of the war, the peoples of the Galaxy growing weary of constant war and struggle gradually accepted Ziris' proposal as peace was very much needed, even if the methods weren't desirable. Peace, however temporary it was fated to be, was more than welcome and was enjoyed for almost a century.

 **The Kratosians**

The Kratosians, a biomechanical race. A race neither Force sensitive, nor affected very much by Force attacks, that stumbled into the Galaxy from Wild Space around 987ABY. The newcomers arrived and made their claim on the Outer Rim into what was once Unknown Regions of space, right into Sith Eternal Empire territory. The vast number of new worlds, star systems, and an array of environments and ecosystems led the Kratosians to believe this Galaxies denizens had not yet discovered space travel (some in fact had not) and that the Galaxy was ripe for settlement. However due to an unfortunate run in, and misunderstanding, with a Sith Exploration Ship (or Patrol depending on which side you believe) that escalated into a small battle (later referred to as the War of First Contact), and then the inevitable retaliation, and another…then another, that, in time, erupted into open war. With the Invader Kratosians forcing their way into the Galaxy and taking worlds by violence to set up outposts and bases, and Sith retaliation and elimination of such worlds, the news and effects of this new conflict reached the Jedi Order and they dispatched they're own infamous ambassadors and intervened in an attempt to orchestrate peace between their old rivals and the Kratosians. The invader Kratosians did not differentiate the two Orders, as all "Magic Users" were enemies. Anger too this did the Sith for the Jedi going against their original agreement of getting involved in Sith affairs, in Sith territory. The Jedi Ambassadors were met with hostility and wiped out. With this, once again the Galaxy was cast back into war, and almost 100 years of peace, gone. Thus began the 1st Intergalactic War.

With the Sith and new Kratosians fighting tooth and nail to wipe one another out and the Jedi, as per their mantra, simply trying to protect the innocent, keep the peace, and defend their own, death and destruction like never before spread to all corners of the galaxy. This was truly the Apocolypse. The Kratosians biomechanical nature meant they were not really Force sensitive, but also unaffected by most Force attacks, as the Sith and Jedi soon discovered at great loss. Up close combat via Light Saber was often lethal for the Force wielders as the Kratosians possessed an odd sort of armor nigh impenetrable to conventional Light Saber attacks and styles. Out of desperation and in an extremely rare joint effort between Sith and Jedi around 1000ABY, after 13 years of losing the war, the creation of the Kyber Crystal Plasma weapons were the fruits of this short lived cooperation. Kyber Crystal Plasma (KCP) weapons, a new type of blaster which used the power of the Kyber Crystals once reserved for Light Sabers, and the Force abilities of the user to generate a powerful blast of Force shielded plasma projectiles not unlike, but many times more effective and powerful than a Light Saber blade. Due to the greatly increased distances with which the new enemy could be engaged as well as the increased damaged dealt, which even the strongest of Force users couldn't hope to recreate with their Lightsabers alone, and far overpowering a conventional blaster, the Galaxy had entered into a new era of warfare. With its creation, Light Sabers were soon retired to weapons of ceremony and decoration as these new weapons, and the variety KCP weapons that could be created for specific jobs and duties, resulted in a pivotal moment of the war against the Kratosians.

At the War of Recompense and Vengeance (roughly translated Sith name for the fray) in 1002ABY at a small, but immensely important newly discovered world in what was once Unknown Region of the Galaxy, these new weapons would see their debut. The small, desolate, rocky world called Klaandatu was used as a refueling station and as a source of mining for valuable minerals and elements essential for Kratosian space travel. Klaandatu, also used as a jump point for Kratosian ships incoming and outgoing from Areas of Engagement against the Sith and Jedi , was surrounded, cut off, and infiltrated by both Sith and Jedi (each not knowing of the other's involvement until after). The Kratosians, caught by surprise and unable to fight on two fronts on the planet's surface and cut off from their supply and means of exfiltration, surrendered and withdrew, leaving behind ships, weapons, and thousands of prisoners. The Sith and Jedi, when met after the assault on the Kratosians, divided the spoils and tentatively retreated to their respective lines without firing a single shot at the other, each knowing the next time they meet, it would not be so. The attack, and the Kratosians first marked defeat, resulted in an unofficial, but rarely observed, cease fire that exists still today, some 200 years later.

The Kratosians, though rarely seen since, very occasionally ambush and engage small patrols of Jedi or Sith, and just as quickly retreat only not to be found or tracked. The prize taken from the rocky world flooded the Galaxy with a wealth of new knowledge and technology. More efficient and powerful ship engines and drives meant travel time across vast distances was halved. Nearly the entire Galaxy now mapped and explored, the Kratosian alloy and metallurgy allowed habitation in once inhospitable worlds. The unique Kratosian body armor remains greatly a mystery, as does the Kratosians themselves. Sadly, the majority of prisoners captured alive so many years ago, either self-terminated or were subjects to tests and experiments and expired or were simply discarded. Meantime, the Sith and Jedi watch one another, the Galaxy rests in yet another uneasy peace.

We arrive to present day, over a thousand years after the events at Yavin, the battle and turning point, between the Ancient Empire and long forgotten Rebel Alliance, which resulted in the successful destruction of the Galactic Empire's First Death Star a millennia ago. The date is 1204 ABY.

Five galactic standard weeks ago, the Sith have a lead on what seems to be a potential new weapon, a witness to someone with knowledge of great power. With this info, and new power, they seek to subdue the Kratosians (their existence and arrival from beyond the borders of the Galaxy not un-useful to the Sith) and quite likely wipe out the Jedi for their arrogant meddling in the first place and thus resorting to the same old Sith Dogma of Galaxy wide domination, in the pursuit of peace of course. At the direct order of the Sith Grand Lord, the Sith Dark Council dispatch a team of Elite Sith Sabers and their Sith Leader, a team that has never failed to complete a mission, and a veteran of countless battles and skirmishes, to the last known location of this much desired intel.


	2. I Bo

Bo

 _Jedi Training Holocron 239.2SH - Since the rejection of the "Rule of Two" and formation of a New Sith Empire, Sith rank and titles have changed somewhat from days of old. Beginning with Acolytes (or Initiates), to Apprentices, Sabers(Sith Knights) and Assassins, Masters, Grand Masters, Lords, Members of the Dark Council (consisting mostly of the most Wise and Powerful Sith Lords) and finally to a single Darth or Grand Lord of the Sith (also Emperor to the Sith Empire). There include also many specializations of Sith, which branch out at the rank of Apprentice and higher. These include Sith Sorcerer, Aviator, Crusader, and Warrior. The Dark Council itself consists of a High Judge, Grand Vizier, High Arcanist, and Warmaster….each of which are Lords and undisputed experts in their respective fields. Although exact number of Sith in the Galaxy is unknown, Jedi estimates are approx. 1.5-2,000,000 member range, with the vast majority being, of course, Initiates and Apprentices. Lone encounters with Sith Sabers or Higher are to be avoided at all costs!_

She gazes at the group a few huts down with intense, insatiable hunger in her eyes, anxious for the meal to come. Catching herself getting lost in the fanciful daydreams of a great feast before her, and thus increasing her own power and knowledge, she must not linger or else risk her disguise as a seemingly average villager and farmer conspicuous and draw unwanted attention. She makes her way in between a pair of run down nearby thatch huts, red sunlight light peeping in between the tangle of sticks and branches used to create the stilted structure. _What a hateful little hovel_ she thought, _barely a shelter_. The sticky red jungle clay and worn and matted light blue, almost teal, grasses on the ground masking her footsteps and she quietly sets down her empty pot prop, made from the same red clay it now rests, out of sight, slightly under the hovel in a cool shade of overgrowth and weeds.

"Getting tired of carrying it around anyway," mumbling to herself.

This had once, quite recently actually, been a quaint little jungle village. She forgets the name, but it was teeming with locals and immigrants from about the galaxy alike. Some came to hide; some were born and died here, and still others just to escape the busy, hustle and bustle, sometimes chaotic life outside this cozy and sequestered gathering of huts and markets. Almost like a nest in the middle of all the lush and thick jungle full of greens, purples, blues, and oranges, huge leafy ferns and spiky shrubs about the jungle floor, all masked from the red stare of the star high above from an orange canopy of treetop 'greenery'. It was a temperate planet, harsh but livable, not counting of course the Wulkarsks, deadly 6 limbed carnivorous pack hunters with 2 eyes each fore and aft of its head. Two torsos, a lower that holds 4 legs and an upper that support two arms ending in claws and the head of the beast. And the Tikiarri, a sentient avian carnivorous creature living in tribes that often raided villages such as this and sent the Wulkarsks, which they bred, to terrorize and kill the usually peaceful villagers. Tikiarri, with their long sharp beaks fed on the dead and rotting. Their large powerful wings providing lift to scout the ground below as the Wulkarsks served as shock troops of sorts and excelled greatly at causing mass panic and confusion as a pack descended upon an unsuspecting village, such as this one. The Tikiarri, a hand located at each wing tip, which they used to grasp spears and decrepit, ancient, blasters, finished what the Wulkarsks did not….and, unless you were a force yourself to be reckoned with, it was best to avoid them completely, if possible.

With a row of huts now between her and her quarry, the unknown villager makes her way to a particularly shabby hut positioned right across from where the group was gathered, with a collapsed roof and missing doors, the scent of spoiled and rotting giant redspars, a delectable fruit, their once brilliant red, now a mush of orange and brown. She whiffs a scent of rancid meat as well….likely an old catch the previous dwellers never got around to until….well, until she arrived. She pauses a moment while recollecting a recent, and satisfying memory. She once again catches herself drifting, then makes her way deeper inside the run down hut and continues to watch the new group through an oversized hole she seems to recall making by tossing a hapless villager through, facing the next row of huts across a small, but well worn, clay foot path. She watches intently while they ramble about, and begins to drift once again, remembering to herself what a journey it has been. She had followed them quite far. This being the 3rd planet she had stalked them to, each venture deeper into the Mid Rim systems, far from more populace regions of the galaxy. The jungle world they now occupy, _Joralla_ , she recalls the ships nav computer saying..."tropical, lush, sparse population, few sentient inhabitants and plenty of hostile local fauna," makes for an excellent ambush spot, as this was no ordinary prey, and despite her abilities, must still remain vigilant.

"They're making this too easy," softly to herself, breaking her silence as well as her disguise as her lips almost involuntarily spread into a wide, toothy grin, revealing a jaw full of sharp, needlelike teeth, while noting their impetuous and hurried scampering about from hut to hut.

The squad of Sith Sabers (a traditional rank and title, as Light Sabers are not oft used anymore, and as with the Sith's titles, a relic of the past) hastily went hut to hut, fighting the waning crimson daylight beaming down from the planets Red Giant star, under the watchful eye and at the command of their Sith Master Squad Leader. She an accomplished Crusader Class in her own right, with many victories and a veteran of many battles, but just another face in the crowd among the 10s of thousands of her Sith Master peers, and whose name might have forever gone unnoticed if not for the encounter to come. She and her entire squad were all but oblivious. They hurried because they did not desire to remain here when the darkness overtook the light of this savage planet, and for the uneasy feeling they all had, but kept silent about, as soon as they landed. For neither she, nor the Sabers that accompanied her, despite their combined powers and training, were the slightest bit aware of who, or what, was watching them. And it was the whatever, or whomever, they were searching for which garnered their full attention, and left them quite susceptible.

"Nothin' here, Master Sibyl." Spoke up one of the Sabers, in the Common Tongue.

"Nor here," piped another from inside the humble, and seemingly abandoned grass and thatch hut, made from local brightly colored purple and green flora and a familiar teal grass roofed hut…..and making a racket from tossing all the furniture and fixtures inside about.

"This is hopeless!" the Sith Master bellowed. The pastel yellow-brown skinned Dresselian, donning typical Sith black light combat armor. A light armor designed to resist to the best of their ability the Kratosian based weapons…as well as the potential KCP blaster shot from an eager Jedi, thought admittedly poor at stopping anything but a ricochet. Snug fitting and awash with pockets and latches and zips for storing and carrying all manner of gear, Sibyl in particular usually went all 'bare', meaning that other than her basic armor, she carried nothing else, not even extra ammunition, as the Light Saber Kyber Crystal based blasters required none, not even a cool down period. They were indeed the pinnacle of Galactic science and technological weaponry. Sibyl turned to examine once again the huts laid about this small clearing. Her trained, large yellow eyes and almost nearly as large black pupils, scanned the immediate surrounding area and stopped for a moment at what seemed to be movement in a dilapidated hut across the footpath….inside a large opening in the wall, not from natural decay or negligence, something else…something….

"Arrrgghhh!" followed by a loud thrash and something heavy and solid crashing through something sounding quite fragile…and wooden.

"EEeeeeeepp!" Sybil squeaks with fear and leaps like a Klatooine paddy frog out of her skin, and spins around, her eyes leaving the hut on which she was so fixated, and quickly tries to hide the fact a Sith Master, who has seen many battles and the face of war up close, was just scared out of her combat boots, and nearly had an embarrassing accident that she would have never lived down, especially not with this crew. A loud and reckless Abyssin apparently doing massive construction and renovation within the tiny, also brightly colored, hut he is still searching briefly pops his massive head out of the hut to investigate a strange squeak. Her eyes dart angrily back toward his general direction, and he swiftly disappears back into the hut. Her eyes then follow back in the direction of their ship, an Eviscerator Class, resting in the open fields of blue grasses opposite the village of huts a few hundred years away, the waning red light from the bloodied sun light seeping through the darkening orange tree tops and kissing its surface, betraying its silhouette against the darkening tree line, the look of a Colo claw fish, a long and sleek predatory fish. The ships dark, reflective hull bouncing some of the red sunlight, showing off its smooth transitions and gentle curves, highlighting some of its features, but otherwise it sits, in relative shadow of the setting sun and the veiled jungle forest not far behind. A well-armed and big enough ship, suitable enough for inter system travel as well as being currently their only means of escape. _Escape_? Not sure why that thought popped into her mind. A chill runs down her back as she continues on and her eyes scan about, and for the first time, she seemed to realize they were completely surrounded by a thick, near impenetrable jungle that seemed to be growing darker and more sinister every minute, and very much secluded, if not completely alone…..aside from the one or two villagers she spotted coming in. _Weird,_ she thought….. _even for such a modestly sized village, to only spot a couple of the native dwellers, then there's the damage, not naturally occurring,_ she finishes her thought _._ Andsuddenly Sith Master Sibyl decides she wants to leave, and soon _._

"Well don't just stand there! Keep looking! And where's that oaf Aarm!," attempting to hide the nervousness in her voice, and turning back to that gathering of 4 huts on the large raised thatch patio that held them, were the Sith search. Still shaken from the racket that surprised her so, but still…..something about this place just wasn't right and she remains alert, eyes darting around and locking on to the slightest movements. At that moment Sibyl finished her scan of the area just to rest her gaze on Aarm rambling slowly and unsteadily toward her, uncharacteristic of the normally disciplined Sith, even for a human one. His dark, empty eyes glaring at her full of hate, hate and something else, something she knows but can't place offhand, she knows that look, a look she's witnessed upon the faces of her squad many times as they've traveled this Force forsaken system. A look they get when spending days upon days without respite, or drink…or, or food!…. _By the gods he's looking at me like rations!,_ her mind screamed. Sibyl instinctively reacts to the looming threat as he proceeds towards her with menacing intent and quickening his pace, as his motive is discovered. She Force dashes back, lifting her Saber Rifle to eye line and squeezing off 3 blasts of Kyber crystal generated plasma shots at Aarm without hesitation. A noted marksman, all three hot, bright red bolts find their target, and burn through the Sith combat armor, and Aarm's lifeless body drops with a dull crackle onto the thatch patio and rolls off onto the red clay, traffic beaten footpath amidst this conclave of weathered and all but abandoned huts.

"What the Void was that!" Talohn, a rather large male green skinned Abyssin at nearly 7ft tall, green slicked hair, thick strong arms, and massive legs to support his unnatural stature, especially for his species, called out. Talohn…..also the Sith Saber shuffling about and the one responsible for enough noise to wake Force spirits, emerged from inside the hut from which he was so fervently searching and made his way up to his Squad Leader.

"That was Aarm, at least it looks like Aarm. And he was gonna attack me! I did what I had to," she growled, checking her weapon, engaging the safety and moving it to her back. He knew better than to question her.

The 3rd Saber appears from behind the hut, surprised and wide eyed, jogs up to the corpse, and kneels by it.

"They were close," Talohn said softly.

Sibyl turns away, headed towards the doorway of the next and final hut, oddly in better shape than the rest and a strange purple-ish glow shining out from within. One that wasn't there before. She looks back over her shoulder towards the scene she was responsible for making, but before she can nag the remaining two Sabers about resuming their search, Aarm rises at the waist, and while still seated, summarily dispatches the unnamed Saber near his body, beheading it with what appeared to be the crack of a whip….or, a tentacle it seemed to be.

 _The speed,_ Sibyl thought, far quicker than any Jedi or Kratosian she had faced. The color, and life, drains from the unnamed Sith's body, absorbed by Aarm. Wide eyed, and frozen, Talohn, still standing where Sibyl just was when she fired her Saber Rifle, is momentarily unable to fire or merely lift his Heavy Saber Machine Blaster. He can't believe what he was just witness to, the power!

 _Was this what, or who, they were searching for_! Talohn wondered. Snapped awake by the burst of red Force lighting shooting past him from the Sith Master's finger tips and into the once thought dead body of Aarm, Talohn reacts and muscle memory and training take over and he raises a rather large weapon, befitting one his size, and opens fire. The Heavy Blaster sending hundreds of yellow KCP bolts with all intents to destroy and if possible, effectively disintegrate its target. The lightning hits the body with a flash, briefly blinding the two Sith and causing Talohn to lose focus, and aim, as he shields his eyes and about a hundred KCP plasma bolts are shot well above their intended target and well over the distant tree line, to disappear into the glowing red horizon. They recover only to behold a creature arise from Aarm's now mutilated and burned body that neither has ever seen. The horrifying pale, almost grey skin of the apparently female humanoid creature with stringy blonde hair, long, slender arms, and long, stretched, seemingly boneless tentacle like fingers. The creature grins at the pair, unnaturally thin and wide lips on a large mouth peel back to reveal dozens of long, fine, piked teeth. Her black sunken eyes…..the twinkle of a small, silvery pupil glaring through them from within those black holes, leers at them angrily…..and hungrily.

Without a word or command and seeminly more out of fear of this horrifying sight, Talohn blasts away at the creature with full auto bursts of his Machine Blaster while Force dashing to his left and on its right in an attempt to flank the creature. Noting Talohns movements and possessing Force Battle Precognition she reacts appropriately and hurls more Force Lightning with both hands in an effort to distract and just maybe, hopefully vaporize it before it can move, then immediately switching tactics attempts to entrap the being with a Force Web amidst this seemingly one-sided battle.

 _This must be the one we are after,_ she thought, nearly out loud.

The being, rather enjoying the drama, gingerly deflects the Kyber bolts into a nearby hut across the foot path and apparently into something flammable as a light flicker begins to grow into flames in seconds. A few bolts of Kyber plasma energy hit the ground resulting in small, dark glassed craters, and the rest are sent up out of this worlds atmosphere….likely to travel a thousand lonely years before meeting a target…..all with the wave of her right 'hand'. While slowly seeming to glide towards the Sibyl, and with the other hand, simultaneously, she effortlessly absorbs the Sith Master's lightning….only to expel it in Talohn's direction, now nearly behind the creature, and a Force Push, right at him….sending his electrified, 7 ft bulk crashing into another hut, 30 feet away, with a crash and concert of cracking and snapping thatch walls and quite possibly the breaking of Talohn himself, and a brilliant flash of light. Sibyl knew, not sure how but she was certain, this was but just a fraction of this creature's immense power and knowledge of the Force. Nothing, not even the Force Web had the slightest effect. The creature turns her head, the ankle long thin, straw like blonde hair moving over her bare, pale grey shoulder, and those pitch black pools and shimmering pupils turns and meets the Sith Master's own eyes. It reaches out with the Force with her right hand once again, and as Sibyl ceases her attempts at trapping the creature and generates a Force Shield thinking the creature was making a move for her. While still looking at Sibyl, It instead grasps Talohn's struggling form from the now collapsed hut…..lifts him, and Force Crushes him, his body folded and making abnormal bends and sounds with the closing of her long serpent-like fingers, absorbing too his life force. Talohn, in his state, had no chance to defend or resist. Sibyl even begins to think even if he had been at his best; this she creature would still have not needed to exert itself. The Creature drops his lifeless crumpled body back into the wreck into which she tossed him.

 _She just wanted to see, to watch my reaction_ …!

Full of fear and terror, but unwilling to relent and leave her now nonexistent team, the Sith Lord amasses and concentrates all the Force around her, fueled by her emotion, her fear and anger, and the Dark Side of the Force, she unleashes it into a powerful wave of Force Blast directed right at the monster, the distortion of air behind the sub sonic travelling Blast temporarily blocks Sybil's sightline of the Beast, until It, moving its hands apart, splits the Blast as it approaches, sending the now twin waves into the jungle behind, cracking and splitting the vegetation and fading as they move deeper into the dense and now dark jungle, likely vaporizing any living thing they come across. Astonished and now truly afraid, like she has never been before, the defeated Sith turns to flee, sliding around her weapon and firing wildly as she attempts to wall in the creature with the clay using a Force technique originally intended for using solid physical matter as a barrier. She will use this as a means for distraction and attempt escape. _I will make my way through the huts across the foot path and lose it temporarily in the mess of huts and head for the ship_ , Sibyl thought. The drained, panicking, and frightened Sybil, scrambling thru the now seemingly endless and impermeable maze of huts turns occasionally to see if she is followed, and fire off a few bolts of KCP energy for, well, just in case

… _could have sworn there were not this many_..her mind races… _Is the creature playing games with me_ , _have I lost my mind_..?

The visions of what had just occurred continually haunting her thoughts as she stumbles and crashes into the same few huts. Seeing the deaths of Talohn and the unnamed Sith Saber over and over in her mind, Sibyl begins to panic and scream. Her head begins throbbing. Dropping her weapon, she is running in circles, delirious and exhausted. Feeling drained. Sibyl, having lost her entire squad of capable, well trained, Sith…..feels the grasp of the Force envelope her. Despite her best efforts, she is unable to even slightly loosen the grip of what she realizes is now certain death that surrounds her, remembering Talohn's fate once again just mere moments before in this demon's grasp, her fear and panic causes wild Force blasts and Lightning to utterly destroy remaining nearby huts, of which she now notices there were but a few standing, hardly the maze she believed herself lost in. The creatures had been messing with her the entire time! Entered her mind and was driving her insane! As the monster turns her quarry and brings the Sith closer to itself and restrains the powers of the Sith Lady with but its will and knowledge, Sibyl peers up at the now night sky, the crimson light faded beyond the horizon, blackness overtakes the sky with silverly specks, is she looking at the sky, or into this horrible monstrosity's gaze? A shooting star skips across the silver dotted black blanket. A mild feeling of relief, she knows these are her last moments, and strangely, all she can think about is failing her mission and be awestruck at the night sky of Joralla.

"Who…..what are you!?" A weak and now bereft Sith Lady squeaked.

"I? Why I am no one," teased the hideous creature, obviously corrupt by pure evil, still a Master of the Force." I was once known by many names though, sadly, no one seems to remember those names," hissed the deformed she demon. "But for the sake of courtesy, and as your last request, I will introduce myself to you, my dear Sith. I am the Bringer of Chaos. I am the Beloved Queen of the Stars. I am the physical embodiment of the Light and Dark Side…..and now thanks to your friends, and soon yourself, I am all powerful! More powerful than I ever have been! I have brought down civilizations, governments, even Jedi Masters and Sith Lords! I am Abeloth! And I will destroy this galaxy!"

The creature once known as Abeloth, dormant for millennia, and long lost to legends of old was well indeed alive….and feeding. Traveling the systems and consuming all she came across, even entire worlds and inciting a small rebellion or two, Abeloth began to dream of bigger things when she consumed her first Force Wielder. With that she sought to grow her power to become unstoppable and began preying on small teams of Sith in the Mid Rim and Outer Rim Territories. The very village she had used to feed and to conceal herself while tracking this Sith Team once teemed with life. Her strength grew inordinately with the consumption of those beings life-forces and her powers were returning to her tenfold. Whereas once, even centuries before, she would have been extremely cautious for these types of encounters, relying on the deception and stealth which she had mastered so long ago. Now is different. Now she is stronger than before. Now is her time! Now she will make her presence known to all by slaughtering this group of Sith! She no longer needs to hide and creep about in the shadows!

As Sith Master Sibyl awaited the inevitable, she inhaled sharply her last breath as she could hear the fading chuckle of that terrible, horrifying, and powerful being; Sibyl awaited the end…..

…. the end…

…the end never came.

Sibyl feels the Force Grip loosen and she drops to the ground, in the grass and clay, on her hands and knees, only to notice the creature Abeloth, slumped over and limp in the teal blue grass. Now in the tall blue grassy field between the Sith Ship and the destroyed and burning village, Sybil stares bewildered at the once pale grey creature, now ashen white, silver specks gone from their black pools, lifeless.

 _What happened_!? _And how_?

The smell of smoke whisks past her. Her strength returning somewhat, her eyes wander and are drawn to a sound and of someone approaching. Holding her sides she attempts to get up to see the approaching being and it would be evident, her saviour, to gaze upon the one that dispatched such an evil and powerful creature, thus saving her life. But she's finding it difficult to move. _That Abeloth abomination must have taken much out of me_ , she pondered to no one in particular. A sharp pain manifests itself inside her head, a severe headache or hangover, though she doesn't recall a hangover ever being _this_ bad, except maybe on Huttese Ale. She grins at the thought, and the memories drinking with her Sith brothers. Slap happy and lackadaisical, her mind begins to wonder, remembering happier times. Remembering her squad. Remembering Talohn. She comes to somewhat and questions race through her mind, about the creature, about this place, about this phantom pain, about her mission…..about her saviour. She slowly returns to the now, noticing the pain fading and only to realize two feet are directly in front of her, and that she is still having great trouble moving….even looking up. All she can see are bare light purple feet, bright, translucent….slightly luminescent, but otherwise humanoid, feet, and….She has a feeling…

"You're the one we've been searching for?"

"Indeed," Responds the ghostly, almost disconnected, disembodied sounding voice.

Again trying to force herself up, even simply raising her head to look up, fails. "And now just who are you exactly? And what was that thing, that….Abeloth thing?"

"She was a tragedy. Created from her inadequacies and emotion many millennia ago, she sought great power. But even for a reason as noble as hers, evil was created with it. An extremely powerful tragedy you Sith and your Jedi nemeses struggled with a time or two, and sadly, often at great loss," the somber and monotone voice speaks, as if recollecting. "She was the epitome of Light and Dark sides of the Force in coexistence in a being that could not cope. Thusly she was driven mad and existed only for others to feel her pain, as an ultimate evil, and to bring about destruction and chaos throughout the galaxy. She was a mistake."

"What are you on about? Nothing like her was ever mentioned in the old Holocubes, or our training. And the Jedi are not our nemeses, so much…..at least they have not been, officially, for centuries. They stick to their side more or less, we stick to ours."

"I see…..and yet you maintain readiness for war and spy on one another?"

* _Grasping for breath*_ "….I did say 'so much', and she must have not been _that_ powerful if you eliminated her so easily."

"Well even one created from such power as hers has limits. I did say 'she was a _mistake'_. Even the Ones she cared so much for, they too have their limits, they are all dead."

"So who are you again? And are you implying that….."

"I have taken from your mind all I require of you, Sith." The mysterious being continues in its monotone, yet somehow filled with a great calm and peace, voice. The voice soothes Sybil somewhat.

"Wait! What?! I have mor…"

The Sith Lord, unable to finish, barely manages a few breaths and gasps for air….much less any real struggle, before slumping over the now lukewarm body, or the physical emboyment that is, or was, the creature known as Abeloth.

The mysterious being heads back to the now demolished group of huts; smoke rising from a spreading fire wafts in the jungle breeze and appears as a dark wisp in the light of the large yellow moon. The being pauses a moment and watches a small, frightened red eyed droid leave its cover and make its way, quickly, for the Sith ship, squeaking and yelping all the way.

The Being turns to the night sky and stars above…..the dancing shadows of Sith bodies from the crackling fire of a few of the huts around him…..and disappears.


	3. II Dopa

Dopa

 _Sith Initiate/Apprentice Assimilation Holocube 3 – The Jedi are weak. Morally paralyzed and naïve to the true power of the Force and of the Dark Side. However, you helpless, useless, and weak bantha fodder maggots must know your enemy to face them. The Jedi has since grown their numbers and ranks. No longer are there simply Padawans and weak Knights for you to pick off. Jedi ranks, and your primary targets as Sith Apprentices, start at Padawan, Squire, Apprentice. When you are more powerful, there are Journeyman, Knight, Master, Council Members (usually Masters, and Grand Masters), and finally the Grand Master Jedi. There are whispers of other, higher ranks of Jedi, as well as special classes, but pay these no mind. So long as you can identify Journeyman or under, you will be victorious in your strength from the Dark Side alone. Only engage Jedi Knights or higher if you have a clear advantage either in your own power, numbers, or environment. To make this mistake will be your demise, either by the Jedi's hand, or mine._

"Late as usual, Knight Brodi?" An aged, war weary Jedi Master, known to all as, Comdo We, a dark skinned, silver haired, human male Soccoran.

"You….*inhales sharply*…know me….*exhales*…Master, always..the…procrastinator," Jedi knight Jagen Brodi eventually manages to get out, gasping for breath. The human, fair, tall, light skinned, and dark haired, with a suave personality and soothing, albeit at this moment out of breath voice that, if he had not been a Jedi and taken a vow….would certainly have his choice of the fairer, or even either of the 4 sexes in this galaxy. The Human Jedi hunches over, still attempting to catch his breath.

"Young Knight, procrastination leads to slothfulness, slothfulness leads to….."

"Master We, may I continue with the briefing," another Master asking while interrupting the Old Master, this one an unusually unattractive Twi'Lek female.

Jagen tries to hide a smirk.

"As I was saying," the Twi'Lek Jedi Master continues, glaring at the both of them, "we have captured a lone Sith Eviscerator Ship. When we hailed, there was no response. We boarded only to find a lone ID-19 Seeker Droid and, prepare yourselves, this within its memory banks."

The Jedi Master calls up the little Droid's holo playback of all that perspired just 4 days prior on Joralla. The Droid witnessed, and recorded, the reemergence of the creature Abeloth and her slaughter of the Sith, as well as her own demise at the will of another yet unidentified being. Gasps were heard throughout the Council Chambers at the enormous display of power and seemingly indifferent and dispassionate taking of life rendered to them now through 3D holographic lights and pixels.

"We have consulted the Senior Consular as well as the Jedi Texts and Holocrons. The creature identifying itself as 'Abeloth', was, according to our records and research, a being of great and immense power from the times of our ancestors, over 1000 years ago. We were even given instruction by the Holocron, and the Jedi Grand Master that created it, instructions and location of a weapon, a dagger, and how to defeat this monstrosity."

The round, two storied Council room, with capacity enough for up to 100 Jedi Masters, Paladins, and Knights lit up with complaint and concern. Questions and comments could be vaguely overheard and picked out among the pandemonium about how a 'measly ancient dagger could possibly do this creature any harm', about the mysterious being that 'seemingly vanished', and 'what the Sith were doing there in the first place.' The noise and vocal complaints off such a room filled nearly to capacity, bouncing off the solid tan and cream diamond shaped granite floor tiles and the charcoal grey colored cylindrical marble pillars and vast concave walls of the chamber, were erupting with a gradually growing, noisy, and whiny, bellowing beast.

"Ssilence, and quiet your mindss," comes a voice from even above the upper floor of the Council Chamber. A sleek, red skinned, Falleen female, a reptilian humanoid race, minus the tail…in most cases, but having mottled scale-like skin, ridged skulls, long claw like fingernails and this one, a long black braided ponytail all grown from a single patch on the rear of her ridged head, and nearly as long as her 5'7" height. The Falleen female, levitating above the Council Members and listening to their quandary, lowered herself to just above the Council Room Floor, for all to see. The room fell instantly into silence.

"Grand Master Myn Sunfell, to what do we owe this honor and privilege?" Spoke up one Paladin.

"Quiet your mindss, and usse them, to think, to ssee what cannot be readily sseen. It would sseem this myssteriouss One hass indeed done our work for uss, yess? At the leasst concerning thiss Abeloth creature, but we must be sure, yess?"

All nod in agreement.

"Then Masster We, you will take sseveral of our Knightss and Apprenticess to Joralla to invesstigate this sscene before uss. Training for the Apprenticesss it sshall be as well."

"Yes Grand Master." Comdo We replies as he throws a glance towards Jagen, whose shoulders and head falls in disgust, along with his chipper spirit, knowing he's just been 'voluntold'.

"I musst make contact with the Ssith, find out if there would be anything they wish to share with uss."

"That will not be likely, Grand Master," brought up the Twi'Lek.

"Perhapss not, but we should try. We will continue patrols and careful watch of the Ssith as normal. The resst of you should meditate on thiss new being. Find out what we can from the archives and if anyone elsse hass been in contact with it. We musst know its intentionss. It seems to possess a great power, and thiss worriess me."

As the Grand Master departs the chamber, the small room erupts in a hushed, worried roar as the remaining Jedi make their way out as well. What are they to do about this unknown being indeed?

Jedi Master Comdo We, an aged, yet still surprisingly spritely, 6 ft tall, husky built human with dark skin. His messy, wooly, thick, silvery, curly hair with only sparse and scattered remnants of its once brilliant black seemed to match perfectly from the thick, unkempt, white beard and mustache hiding the wrinkles and scars about his face. These features in combination make him appear almost like a homeless beggar walking the streets far below. His low pronounced brow hiding his stern, but warming, brown eyes, and to any that look into, know immediately this is no beggar. The confidence and power, as well as the compassion that can be realized from just a look into Master We's eyes is part of what makes him so popular with his subordinates and beloved by his peers. Master We looks around, making mental notes and detailing his surroundings, people, traffic, exits, ideal points of defense and where he wouldn't want to be caught in case of attack, a habit the old soldier will likely never break. He gathers up his expeditionary force in the expansive hangar bay beneath the new Jedi Temple. Magnificently lit with its large, blue-grey, smooth stone, gentle arches in the architecture; round, concave opal pillars and arched passageways, cut and crafted from giant slabs of unknown mineral taken from some far away quarry, outlining the entirety of the bay, making a sort of perimeter path for the various foot traffic, be it droid, human, or alien. The whole area doesn't seem to possess a straight line other than the smoothed and polished to a mirror shine moon-grey rock floor they walk on. A marvel in stone work and the Jedi's acute, but not well known, architectural engineering expertise. His admiration of Jedi craftsmen and women complete, and mental notes taken, Master We resumes packing and preparing his team for their venture out into the Joralla System to the temperate tropical world of Joralla. A journey that will take them around the Galaxy Core and only about 2 standard days, Master We makes note of weapons, rations, fuel, portable shelters, and any gear that may, but hopefully not, be required.

His team, comprising of himself, 1 Pho Ph'eahian Jedi Master Palladin, a curious, as near as makes no difference 6.5ft tall, 4-armed, bipedal bat-like humanoid creature having thin, wispy, white fur. This bat like being, called B'Vos, possessing a well above average intelligence, further aided by Jedi and Force Sense training, alsoa keen spirituality, and politeness as well as an obsession with cleanliness and order; 2 Knights, one Human (Jagen) and a blue skinned male Duros named Gaden, with typical Durosian near featureless face (no nose) and solid, large, red pupil less eyes; 2 more Jedi Knights, a Twi'lek called Lo'ain, and a tan skinned middle aged human male named Hashimura, and 2 younger Apprenctices of mixed race and gender.

"Everythings in my place and my places for everything," quipped the Pho Ph'eahian, still acquainting himself with the Common Tongue, and its many idioms and phrases, while examining pallets and crates of supplies about 15 yards from the ship. "But also swiftly, my young Apprentices, for Procrastination and Slothfulness are a path to Idle Hands, and eventually, the Dark Side."

Jagen glares at B'Vos who is trading smiles with Comdo who also is now at the neatly stacked pile of supplies as well, making checklists, and double checking them. Humor, it seems, the Pho Ph'eahian has no trouble acclimating himself to.

Knight Jagen tosses his pack into the transport, and holding his Type 3 Semi Auto Kyber Rifle, gently lays it onto the waist high deck of the small sub light Kretch Class transport, meant to ferry the team to their destination after deploying in the system by the 3X Hyper light speed Frigate Kessel. Joralla is well within Jedi Republic borders, but they can't be too cautious, especially if a team of Sith managed to get in unnoticed.

"This is gonna be a looong trip," Jagen, picking up his rifle once more and closely inspecting it while muttering under his breath, thinking no one heard.

"Nonsense, my gentle Knight," B'Vos spoke up loudly in his deep, and clear, baritone voice, thus startling the young Jedi Knight as he approached Jagen's 5 o'clock. Jagen pretended he did not just have the piss scared out of him and continued to load his things into the transport. "It is excitement and adventure we are off to, no more sitting around in this drab place endlessly talking, meditating, and studying," exclaimed B'vos, checking and holstering his dual Akimbo mirror black X19 full auto Kyber Pistols. "Why do you burden yourself with that antique of a weapon anyhow," beckoning at Jagen's Type 3.

"Same one I've used since I was a Youngling with my Father on our trips to the Outer Worlds, to 'connect with nature, and the Force', as he put it. I've just used it ever since, even throughout my Jedi training. It was my Father's, and his Father's before him. Just sentimental I guess."

"I see, and does it still work?"

Jagen looked up glassy eyed from the rush of memories, good and bad….and from his rifle to see a large grin on B'Vos' rather ugly bat like face.

"Keep that up and you'll find out," Jagen shoots back, lightly punching the big Pho Ph'eahian in one of his left arms. "Why no combat armor, Master B'Vos? Doesn't seem smart to head into wherever we're goin' without it."

B'Vos looked at Jagen and thought a minute, began to respond, then just turned and climbed aboard the transport.

"Load 'em up!," calls a grizzled, yet stern voice that could only be Comdo's. "Time to pack it up and get a move on, we're on mission and depart within the hour to rendezvous with the Kessel."

With that, Jagen shrugs, and the group returns to a serious and somber mood, not knowing what they may encounter and, almost in a zombie like state lost in their respective thoughts, finish loading up their supplies, and themselves, onto the transport. Grand Master Myn approaches the group as they are settling and buckling in.

"May the Forsse be with you all." She stares a moment, and looks at each one, almost sadly, then turns and disappears into the crowd moving about the hangar.


	4. III Duba

Duba

 _Jedi Squire Training Module 103.1WM – Only in rare circumstances of either emergency, peril, or a particularly gifted student learner will Padawans or Squires possess Kyber Weapons. These early stages, students are taught of the Force, its Powers and basics such as Control, Sense, and Alter. They will learn of the Light and signs and effects of the Dark Side. Pros and Cons of each, obviously the greater power and strength of the Dark Side comes at a great cost to mental and physical health of the wielder. Basic and Advanced Force Powers and most importantly, the Mantra and Will of the Jedi and Pursuit of the Balance of the Force, as well as Compassion for all Life. Only when a pupil has surpassed these and other stages will a basic Kyber Weapon be issued to the student. When this stage is then completed with the Honor, Dignity, Just, and Chivarly of a Knight only then will a Student be allowed to create his own personal Kyber Weapon and be made official, a Jedi Knight. (note: An exception being Jedi Padawan Jagen Brodi and that moronic, ancient rifle of his.)_

"IMPOSSIBLE!," a snarly, grinding and terrifying voice yells at the young, now frightened, Sith Initiate.

"I'm sorry my Dark Lord, but it's true," the Initiate replied meekly, knowing that being the messenger could very well mean death. "The Jedi have Lady Sibyl's ship. We have not the slightest clue what happened or what the Lady Sibyl's team discovered, if anything, on Joralla. There has been simply no report or communication. And they, neither the Jedi nor the Sith Team, have attempted to contact us."

"GO, NOW! Leave my sight before I send you to the rehabilitation pits. It would seem I have a Jedi to commune with."

The Initiate, humbly, and very swiftly, leaves the dark chamber of the Sith Lord, and Council Warmaster, Daggoth, a Zabrak, large and pitch black skinned. The Zabrak are sinister enough in appearance alone, more than enough to make a mere Initiate rethink their decision to join the Dark Side and the Sith, even more so around this one, but the overwhelming power and the desire to have it for themselves , also keep most of them around. This particular Zabrak, being one of a handful left, and full of hate and the power of the Dark Side, due to his entire species being rebuilt via cloning, simply for the purpose of war, and then promptly wiped out. The Sith threw them at the Kratosians like unarmed Kallistas settlers at a hungry sand bear when desperation surpassed logic and sound decision making. Daggoth, unlike many of his brethren and sistren, survived, and his hate grew his power immensely, his desire for revenge even more so. This, and centuries of study and training in the Dark Side of the Force has made him a formidable and feared, as well as respected Sith Lord among his subordinates and peers, even his few superiors alike. So much so, he earned the Title and Rank of Warmaster, serving on the Sith Dark Council. Even among the Sith and their traditions, none dare to challenge him.

Even among the few of his race left, he is unmistakable in appearance standing 6.5ft tall with a build to suit his height. His face and body painted with bright white tattoos, signifying his heritage and prowess in battle, against the black as void skin, and large serrated pale yellowish bone horns with a slight red tint adding another 6in to his overall height, emanating from his head to form a crown of points and daggers looking even more fearsome than a typical Zabrak. Yellow pointed teeth and bright red pupils bathing in a sea of yellow that are his eyes, being the only disturbance of the mass of the bright white Rorschach-like ink blot pattern on his face. All this gives him the appearance of a skeleton or ghoul or some such other ghastly undead being, and a certain chill down the spine of anyone he sets his powerful, evil gaze upon. An ancient creature, easily over 500 years old, and full of hate towards even his own Sith Masters due to their reckless genocide of his once, and again forgotten, race…..but he harbors even more hate towards the Kratosians and Jedi. The only thing he despises more, is his incessant, lingering life force, far beyond what his species usually achieve, and to slowly become the last true survivor of his race. It is this hatred of himself and fear, fear of being alone, that allows Daggoth to surpass most of his ilk in not only his power over the Dark Side of the Force, but also his numerous abilities and skills in combat and strategy. A creature set in his ways, perhaps too much so, being one of the very few to still carry a Light Saber, a rare and unique one at that, that strangely no one has seen up close, at least seen it and lived to tell about it…and this simply his backup weapon.

Sith Lord and Warmaster Daggoth turns, his dark cloak masking his whole body, only that ghoulish face barely peek through the vast black cloth, and makes his way across his dimly lit chamber….dark grey chiseled stone floors and black metallic jagged walls, like a partially or ill completed jigsaw puzzle was the inspiration for these large empty rooms and halls, violent angles and edges and seemingly incomplete shapes. With asymmetrical shapes and a dull sheen from the metallic surfaces of the so called 'walls', it is indeed a sinister looking place. He approaches the Holo Comm terminal in the center of his chambers, and after a few clawed finger swipes through holographic buttons, a holographic 6 inch tall image of a Jedi, one he has not seen before, but who really cares to keep track, flickers to life on his Comm HUD.

"Sith Master Daggoth, what an unpleasant surprise," the tiny Jedi remarked in their usual overly polite tone….but this one with a hint of a pent up disgust and aggression.

 _Maybe he could be swayed…Maybe he would make a halfway decent Apprentice…..You're getting off topic, get to it,_ The old Sith thought and soon reminded himself.

"That's _Lord_ Daggoth," the ancient and impatient Sith snarled "..and where is Jedi Master Tu'uk lurking?"

"What is your business…..*acckkkggg*!"

"That is but a fraction of my powers, whelp!" The old Sith growled. "Fetch the Jedi Master, if you please." The Sith's tone rescinded into a forced and sarcastically polite tone, releases the shocked, and pride-hurt, Jedi whose tiny holographic image stumbles away. He feels the hate and resentment.

 _A decent recruit indeed this one might make,_ he thought. _Another spy_.

Moments later, a teal skinned, dark eyed, unusually unattractive Twi'Lek female, two lekku (or head tentacles) hanging precariously behind her, and two more draped over her shoulders and over her rather meager, unimpressive breasts, _Likely why she hangs them there_ the Sith thought, a crooked smile involuntarily forming at the thought of a dirty joke concerning a Twi'Lek female he once heard.

"Must you abuse my Jedi," the Twi'Lek offered as a greeting, and sternly. "Now, to what do I owe this displeasure?"

 _Jedi…..nothing if not cordial,_ Daggoth mused to himself, and then suddenly remembering the purpose of his call. "Master Tu'uk, I am of the understanding that you preside over the security monitoring the Mid Rim region, specifically the Mektrun Sector?"

"I am."

"Any news of the Joralla system? Any recent successes in your duties there," Daggoth, now toying and attempting to annoy, he asked of the Jedi.

"Is there a point to this Sith? I have little time for games."

"That's _Lord_ , and yes, to be so blunt", _Jedi are no fun,_ he quickly thought… "It has been brought to my attention that the Jedi seem to have a ship. My ship. Specifically a ship, of mine, that carried a team, also of mine, that was assigned to just that system…for, um…scouting and resource finding, um….duties."

"Is that so? Hmm, could be. Maybe not though….I'll…."

"Now you listen Jedi filth!" Roared Daggoth, now out of patience and no longer in the mood for games. "I am not to be toyed with by one such as you, or the pathetic excuse for a Jedi that answered my hail." The Jedi Master feels a grip tighten around her, her throat and diaphragm, and although much more adept than the novice Jedi from before and able to fight it, she would likely not be able to do so for long.

"Yes….yes we have it….*ack*!"

The Sith releases her and the Jedi Master coughs, catching her breath and regaining her composure, yet no retaliation or even a threat.

 _This one is strong._

"As a matter of fact", Tu'uk continues, "the Grand Master Jedi would wish an audience with you concerning just that." Tu'uk leaves the viewfinder of the Holo Comm, and the familiar, smooth, red skinned Myn steps in.

"Ahhh, Grand Masster, a privilege. I wass awaiting your call."

 _I hate Jedi….._ "Mm hmm, I see. It's _Lord_ by the way," _damned Jedi_. "Jedi Grand Master Myn, if you please, my ship and Sith Brothers and Sister."

"Patiensse _..."_

 _I reaaally hate Jedi_ , Daggoth to himself.

"..patiensse.."

… _really do_..

"..patiensse.."

.. _if she says' patiensse' one more time_..

"..my losst Brother in the Forsse. But firsstly, and a word of warning, if you _ever_ treat any _one_ of my Jedi like that again, I will create a Forsse Sshield within you, and exspand it until you are _nothing_ but bitss and piecess of black and white Ssith for your Initiates to sweep from the floor. Amm I clear?"

 _I like her_. "Yes, Grand Master Myn, you have my sincerest apologies."

"I'm ssure I do," with doubt. "Now," Myn starts, her voice just as calm, cool, porcelain and smooth in either peaceful harmony or great stress, or in rare cases, anger, "we do indeed have your sship, but alass I'm afraid your Ssith Brethren were not within."

"You lie!" But Daggoth knows very well it's not in a Jedi to lie. Before she can state what he already knows, he continues, "What did you find then?"

Myn, silent a moment as if rethinking telling him what he apparently already understood, began instead by telling the Sith all they had found aboard The Sith Eviscerator Ship, and of the droid and its contents, and the apparent demise of the Sith team. She did neglect to mention the team she ordered to investigate the site. It's not in a Jedi to lie, but to simply withhold certain truths, to allow one to figure out the truth for themselves, is fair game.

Daggoth requests the holo recording to see for himself the apparent murder of his Brethren and Sister, which, at least the way the Jedi described it to him, sounded something akin to pest extermination. While the thought doesn't necessarily cause him fear, it is certain a cause for concern. He returns to the emptiness and solace of his chamber, walking away from the Holo Comm terminal, shutting it down with the slight wave of a finger, and ponders next how to confront his own Masters with the news, the Dark Council and likely the Grand Lord himself, knowing very well that being the messenger, could mean death.


	5. IV Fwanna

**Fwanna**

 _Kratosian Exploration Unit Log 316X812 – (Translating…..) "…we have esca[e+ (translation err #203) and made our way into wwwhat seems to be the outer arm of hopefully, friendly occupied galaxy. We haaave tra)vele & far….we await a new place to call hhoo&*^^%..." (Comm interrupted, translation error, power surgeeeee…**&%&^%%..._

A Kratosian Scout, pale, almost clear skinned as the biomechanical muscles and tendons could be seen hard at work propelling this being along at great speed. His exoarmor, or what remained of it, the only opaque parts of his body, covering his entire torso and pelvis, thighs, feet, calves, as well as shoulders. The armor itself, now a few different shades of red, but can adapt to a variety of colors and textures to suit his surroundings. This biomechanical wonder of what is essentially, a living machine, can restructure, adapt, change color etc given the class of soldier it is applied and the mission the solider is to accomplish. The armor can be deployed at will, and even repair itself when damaged. Given long enough, it is possible to restore and replace entire missing pieces. All Kratosians possess this same, although unique to their purpose, extraordinary armor. This miraculous armor is also highly resistant to Light Sabers and even sporadic, indirect blasts from Kyber weapons now used commonly by Sith, Jedi, and a few Criminal Organizations. This Scout, referred to as Gex by those close to him and 071893 by all others, including his superiors. Kratosians are assigned a personal, or Small Circle Name, used among those close to them, as well as a Large Circle name (a number in appearance to any being but Kratosians), used formally by anyone not close or in professional atmospheres. Gex was tall and lean, nearly 7ft, typical for those in the Scout Division, and easily moving faster than any normal human, and possibly some Jedi. It takes but a single bound over the outpost barrier….some 10 ft high and at the surprise and dismay of the Sentry Guards on watch, with their heavier exoarmors and somewhat slow reactions, but also being a Scout means some semblance of stealth against all manner of sensors, droids, and scanners. Gex bounds through the Kratosian outpost located on a yet unnamed, all but vacant, dusty red desert planetoid, somewhere in the Outer Rim Region but behind Sith lines, and one of the few remaining unmapped and uncharted worlds in this modern age of the Galaxy. Gex finally reaches his Senior Officer and through an indeterminate exchange (to human ears), the Senior Officer bolts off from the impromptu meeting with possibly even more haste than the Scout. The Scout he left behind, now showing a wound to his torso and a chunk of the miracle armor missing, collapses where he once stood. The Senior Officer, glancing over his shoulder, sees Gex collapse but also others rushing to his aid. He feels bad for not staying, but Gex's report must get to the Commandant. The Senior Officer, continuing on across the medium sized but smartly planned out compound bursts, unannounced, into his Commandant's humble quarters a few moments later. A small semi-permanent shelter made of a hardening and form holding fabric. The floor was a similar, but much thicker and sturdier material, to provide all quarters and spaces with flat floors, despite the terrain erected on. All quarters were about the same composition, layout, scarlet color (in this case to blend in with the copper red desert sands) and size, the Commandant's was just a bit larger and held few odds and ends and one or two personal effects.

"Sir," exclaimed the Senior Officer while moving into direct eyesight by kneeling at the Commandant's level and presenting the appropriate salute. "I have news, intel from our scouting party in the Mektrun Sector," The SO states matter of factly while vaguely, but hardly noticeably, out of breath. Kratosians, while comprised of biological tissue and some organs, do not necessarily need to breathe nearly as much as humans or many other sapient species in the Galaxy. The entire sprint just now completed by the SO, could be accomplished in one, normal breath.

Likewise, they can also quickly adapt themselves to different atmospheres with lower or higher levels of Oxygen or even other gas or gas states of other elements. As long as the 'air' they breathe is within reason, not overtly poisonous or caustic to the biological and mechanical parts of their anatomy, they can virtually seamlessly adapt from one atmosphere to the next, thus one of their greatest strengths.

"Well then, out with it, you are very much ruining my lunch," demanded the Commandant, and 'lunch' being a rather bland, unappetizing, unappealing, yet very nutritious, pile of bantha shi….lumpy grey paste. The Commandant, his appearances a bit misleading and seemingly small in stature, due to in part his seated position for his meal, and partially due to his full armor not currently being deployed, which for his specific rank and class, are quite the opposite of the exoarmor for say, a Scout.

"Our scouting team was tracking a team of Sith, which led to a small jungle world."

"Interesting….is that all?"

"No my Commandant, the Scouting Team also discovered the team were Elite Sith Sabers…led by a Sith Master."

"Again interesting, but I'm failing to see why this couldn't have waited until after my meal?"

"….and a source of seemingly unlimited power….a being," the Senior Officer finished.

The Commandant dropped his eating utensil, made up of precious ore and stone, and stopped mid chew, or slurp as the paste has real little substance and at least pretending the meal was more than it actually was, and looked at the Senior Officer, and swallowed. "Well now, that _is_ interesting." Rude as it was to interrupt one's meal, ruder still it was to speak with food in one's mouth in front of others.

"One more thing, sir, Scout Group C081 reported contact and engaging with Jedi, after losing contact with the Sith. This was also on Joralla. There was but one survivor, and he was gravely wounded when he found me," finishing his report on a somber note and lowering his head to honor and respect the fallen.

"Who was the survivor and did he survive his wounds?"

"Ge…err, 071893 sir. And I'm sorry my Commandant, I do not know. I left with all haste to find you as soon as he gave me his report."

"Gex? Find him, take care of him first, then get a full and complete report…..and then debrief him and send him home. It would seem the Jedi are more eager to fight then they let on and not quite the purveyors of peace they led us to believe they were."

The Senior Officer salutes, and departs leaving the Commandant to his meal….which he pushes away, and rises, revealing his bulky 8ft tall and brutish stature. Clearly, a being built….or created, for war.

"Por, ready my ship and set nav computer to home. We have a war to declare," stoic, confident, and eager for the battles to come.

"Yes Commandant Fyr, right away."

As Commandant Fyr makes his way out of his temporary dwelling and outside into the twin star baked red desert dust bowl, that 80,000 of his troops are now calling home…..he deploys his exoarmor, the deep red, bulky, plated armor….strong and durable enough to be able to withstand fantastic amounts of heat and force, and absolutely necessary to be able to survive the rigors of space travel, exploration, and even war. The hundreds of trillions of tiny microscopic bots, replacing the cells a full biological form would have, weave as spiders would a web, and almost instantaneously create the thick exoarmor that now covers Fyr from head to toe and easily gives him another 1.5ft to his height. The sectioned red plates form solidly over immobile sections of his body, such as shins and thighs, forearms and skull, whereas jointed areas are made up of overlapped plates and a more flexible variant of the exoarmor, like an external synthetic cartilage, to allow freedom of movement, as if the armor weren't there at all. The armor is a part of them. It is them. Without the armor they would not survive, without them, the tiny bots would have no purposed and cease to exist. Now appearing in his true form (Kratosians unarmored form are reserved for private and Small Circle counterparts) in the immense and imposing satin red armor, the Kratosian Commandant Fyr makes his way across the compound to his ship, the light Kratosian frigate _Sym_ , a plain to the eye but technologically superior to any native vessel in The Galaxy. It was clearly not designed to be 'beautiful' or pleasing aesthetically. Function came way before form in the design and build of this vessel. Its simple shape might remind one of early space shuttles used across the galaxy millennia ago when space exploration was just beginning, but much more refined. The Commandant boarded his humble vessel, to the Kratosian Senate. To home.


	6. V K'Wanna

**K'wanna**

 _Jedi Holocron 782.2GM – The 33_ _rd_ _Grand Master of the Order of the Jedi, Jedi Grand Master Ziris 3RO was indeed an advanced Protocol Droid, the last of its kind. Equipped with advanced AI and bio tissue based CPU, Ziris (then Z-3RO), was capable of learning, self-will, and emotion. When Z-3RO became fully 'self-aware' and conscious, it considered himself 'born' ('himself' just a placeholder, as the Droid, as 'he' was well aware, possessed neither gender nor reproductive organs but simply made the classification based on its plating shape, and for simplicities sake), and took the name Ziris. Ziris was a peace loving being, and just, and honorable….which led him to the Jedi Order where there had been other half human or near humans, and the occasional cyborg (which usually passed on or just left), but for all intents and purposes, Ziris was the First 'Cyborg' Jedi to rise to the rank of Master, then Grand Master of the Order. Although his Force powers and uses were limited, albeit still impressive despite lack of a biological body, Ziris was still a quite capable Force User. It was once rumored that based on what living tissue he had, if possessing a full body, his Midichlorian count would have surpassed all then known Jedi and Sith. A rumor, but despite that, Grand Master Ziris' had no equal in wisdom and logic. And despite inability to fully manipulate all aspects of the Force', Ziris had complete understanding of the Force and the Balance thereof, more so than any Jedi before or since. Ziris, as most of him did not age, was Grand Master for over 200 years and helped to make the Order what it is today and accomplished a great many things, including brokering a peace between the Sith and Jedi, something many had never thought possible. He stepped down in 895ABY after his_ _235_ _th_ _year and a 15 year meditation, and simply left the Jedi Order, passing the title ranks of Grand Master to his last, and most capable Padawan, at the time but a Jedi Knight, Myn Sunfell. No one knows the reason or circumstances for his leaving_ _._

On a surprising and unwelcome humid morning, bright red sunlight from the Red Giant star begins to pierce the bright, and colorful trees of the Jungles of Joralla as Jedi Master Comdo We and his team, disembark their ship on the surface of the jungle planet. The red light peeping through the canopy of purples, blues, and oranges, provided just enough light to see, and sets a calm, serene atmosphere for the Jedi team. The squad at once begins to set up a base camp just several klicks north of the Village where the droid revealed the last location of the captured Sith Ship, and of the mysterious being the Jedi now seek.

Knight Jagen Brodi, already missing the comforts of the Kessel Class Ship that brought them to this Force forsaken place, begrudgingly assists Jedi Knight Gaden, Knight Hashimura and his apprentice, with the unpacking and set up of the temporary weather resistant shelters, sleeping quarters, and, ahem…facilities. Even potential combat doesn't stop the call of nature. Usually the one to give the orders and supervise, in this case, he is among mostly his peers with only Comdo We and B'Vos, his superiors, who are, once again, checking and rechecking supplies.

"Brodi! A hand..ummph, please?," called Knight Gaden, a blue skinned, red eyed, Durosian male, currently struggling with unloading a rather large T16K Turret Droid. Its 4 long legs folded neatly against its sides to conserve space. T16Ks, upgraded recently to KCP rounds and to four legs from the three legs from older models from centuries ago, as they proved quite easily knocked over by even the most lowly and clumsy of the Clone and Storm Troopers of old.

Brodi would just have allowed his peers and subordinates to use their Force powers to make unloading and loading and setup go much quicker, but this sort of 'showing off' was looked down upon….mostly by B'Vos. So they were stuck doing things 'The way of old fashions', as B'Vos put it.

The other two Jedi, the Twi'lek Knight and her apprentice, were put on setting a perimeter and guard until the droid turrets were unloaded and set up. After which they set on patrol into the surrounding jungle.

 _How do they manage to always get out of the manual labor_ Brodi thought to himself, getting a little angry while dwelling on the thought.

"Calm your mind young Knight," B'Vos seemed to just appear from nowhere, and seemingly reading Brodi's thoughts. "Each of us has a job and duty here. Relish in your work and take pride in it, and such thoughts will leave you," B'Vos smiled as he looked off into the jungle tree line, almost peaceful and unperturbed.

Just as Brodi began to settle in B'Vos' advice, after the fourth and last droid turret was unloaded, wiping the sweat from his brow, but feeling accomplished. Brodi looked up to notice that the Red Giant was now overhead and bathing their little camp in the warmth, and to be honest a bit more heat than he was used to, and orange red light it rained upon the surface of the planet. He looked around and it seemed We and B'Vos hadn't allowed their hands to be idle either, as it seemed most of the camp was done. Feeling a snack and break coming on, Brodi made his way to rations locker and offered Gaden something as one of the other Jedi, the young female apprentice to Lo'ain, came rushing into their meager 'compound' and began shouting "They're coming! They're coming! We have to go! Now!"

As B'Vos stopped and calmed the young Jedi, and in his usual calm and baritone voice, "Tell me, who is coming?"

Before the young Apprentice could answer, the Twi'lek Jedi Knight called Lo'ain, and this young one's master, appeared out of thin air and passed the group of Jedi in a single bound to the nearest Droid Turret to activate it, and then stated quite calmly and matter of factly, and with the unnatural calm only a trained Jedi Knight possesses, "The Kratosians are coming."

"How many!?" Asked Comdo We, almost aggressive and demanding with his query, a sense of urgency in his tone.

"I'm not sure, they surprised us! Maybe 70?" The first Jedi, a young apprentice, nervously offered.

"That's too many." We said softly as he turned to prepare defenses, probably meaning it to himself but it slipped out loud. And with that, the small cadre of Jedi leapt to life, and as if a well-rehearsed drama, began taking their places, checking weapons, preparing the barrier defenses and activating the 3 remaining Droid Turrets. The T16Ks, coming alive with the hum of cooling fans and electricity flowing through their circuits, extend their 4 jointed 4.5ft limbs, two at a time, as a stretching creature leaving the comfort of a cozy and comfortable napping position might do. They rose one by one to their 9ft tall total height.

"Tee wun Six Kilo, Unit 10024576C, active. Awaiting user password and target designation."

"Tee wun Six Kilo, Unit 10187431D, active. Awaiting user password and target designation."

"Tee wun six kilo, Unit 10200149C, active. Awaiting user password and target designation."

"Tee wun six kilo, Unit _Choobies_ , active. Awaiting user password and target designation."

For a brief moment, even amidst the hectic and chaotic atmosphere unfolding all about them, all of the Jedi pause, and eye Jedi Knight Jagen Brodi, who pretends not to be seen and continues preparing for the coming attack, but from his periphery could have sworn he spied a smile find a place on B'Vos ugly bat like mug.

"Droid turret units, authorize user, Jedi Master Comdo We. Password, 07281934. Target, Kratosians."

"Acknowledged," all turrets seemed to echo at the same time.

Unlike their ancient predecessors, these new droids, in service for a few hundred years now, are mobile and gyro stabilized, to prevent being knocked over by a hapless trooper, or enemy forces. The four droids move and take their positions on the perimeter outskirts of the Jedi encampment, two at the NorthWest end of the clearing roughly 60 feet apart facing where the two Jedi came from after discovering the presence of the Kratosians, their sensors and barrels aimed at the opening into the colorful thick jungle, that seems to blacken the deeper into it one peers. The other two took positions at the Jedi's 5 and 7 o'clock, a much larger area to scout, but there to prevent flanking maneuvers. The ship lie directly next to the encampment, and to the left of where Brodi now took position behind the cover B'Vos and Comdo We set up what seemed like only moments before facing the same direction as the first two T16ks, aiming towards the treeline. The noise and clatter of weapons and armor and droids moving about soon die out and give way to the alien sounds of the jungle as the group waits. If the young Jedi's claims are true and there are 70 Kratosians out there that leaves the Jedi hopelessly outnumbered as even a single combat squad of but a few Kratosians can easily dispatch a greater numbered squad of the average Jedi. The Jedi wait and listen to unknown creatures calling and and the thick colorful ferns and brush rustling and moving about the jungle floor while a slightly more pleasant, but still rather hot breeze, moves through the encampment and jungle foliage. Amid the soft whirring of the droid motors as they search the treeline for targets, the symphony of noises emanating from the jungle suddenly stop and strange and weird native avian creatures take flight from their perches in their trees.

"ZZCHYOO, ZZCHYOO….CHYOO..CHYOO..CHYOO..CHYOO! One of the turrets fires off a couple zeroing rounds then a short burst of KCP rounds and exclaims "Target eliminated," almost proudly, the downing of its target far beyond the sight of the normal visuals of Jedi at the main encampment nearly 300 feet back.

"Sssssssss…baump, baump," the unmistakable bright white glow of a Kratosian energy grenade is spotted flying through the air from the jungle treeline, and lands with a single bounce and comes to rest beside the cocky Droid Turret…"sssszzz-ker-BLOOOOM!"

And with that the colorful jungle tree line comes alive with movement of camouflaged Kratosian troops, and white blaster fire, as customary of Kratosian energy weapons. The Jedi are overcome with suppressing fire from the Kratosian troops and ricochets and white hot blaster bolts whizzing past their positions, and pinned down behind cover. Ten heavy Kratosian troops emerge from deep within the jungle into the clearing, absorbing the remaining Droid turret KCP blaster fire as if it were harmless parade confetti. Their massive exo armor bulking them up and making them huge and imposing, even compared to the great beasts the Jedi are accustomed to seeing. The Droid Turret, not entirely stupid, realizes the little damage done to the massive Kratosian Tank units, and modifies targeting parameters to take out the smaller, more lightly armored, Scout and Infiltration units staying in cover in the jungle tree line. The valiant lone Droid manages to take out 12 such units before a Kratosian Tank unit vaporizes the Droid Turret with two shots from an arm mounted cannon that seemed to just appear out of the arm of the Kratosian. Jedi Master Comdo We, realizing the remaining Kratosian Scout Units will likely move to the flanks of the Jedi to prevent escape and eliminate the Jedi in a carefully orchestrated cross fire, leaves his cover to project a Force Arrow, or Force Beam, a modified Force Push that concentrates the energy and force of the Push into a tiny beam of Force Energy, the cross section of which can be controlled by the Jedi. While not useful for much else, this technique seems to help penetrate the Kratosians unique armor, which the Jedi still do not quite fully understand, for at least a brief moment, which is all the Jedi usually need. As soon as Comdo We hits the chest of the Kratosian Tank unit closest to him with the Force Beam, he almost instantaneously squeezes off a round of blue Kyber crystal generated plasma from his Type 13 Battle Rifle, which moving at hypersonic speeds, penetrates and kills the Kratosian before his nerves and the nanobots even realize what has happened and can react. The Kratosian drops to the ground, armor disintegrating from his body. The remaining Kratosian Tank units pause only briefly, in disbelief, only to concentrate their fire on the lone Jedi who quickly Force Dashes back to the relative safety of his cover. In their brief encounters with the Kratosians, and attempts at study and questioning, the Jedi have discovered these beings do indeed possess biological organs. A fact that was not known until the Jedi/Sith victory years ago.

 _Not bad for an old man_ Brodi thought. _I may just have to learn that trick myself_.

"Unfortunately, my Young Knight, that is a skill not many Jedi are able to master, and currently, only but a handful are able to do it concisely and repeatedly." B'Vos stated seemingly once again reading Brodi's mind and also ducking a blaster bolt or two.

 _Will you stay outta my head, B'Vos!_ Brodi exclaimed, loudly within his own head.

 _"_ My apologies, Young Brodi, it's an old habit. My kind are accustomed to communicating that way you know."

 _No, I didn't know that actually; sorry, but please realize that not everything I think, I wish said aloud,_ Brodi thinks, knowing still B'Vos is listening in _._

"What a strange custom," B'Vos wondered aloud, dodging another blaster bolt, then summarily using his own Force Beam technique to take out 4 Kratosian Scouts at the same moment using 4 separate Beams and 1 shot from each of his X19 KCP Blasters, held in each of his four large, clawed, paws.

As Brodi turns his attention to another Kratosian Scout taking cover behind a bright green tree, with giant purple low hanging leaves, he squeezes off a couple rounds from his ancient Type 3 Semi Auto Kyber rifle to drive the Scout from cover. They're more lightly armored and can be taken down with a few well-placed shots from KCP weapons, but this one is being stubborn. He reaches out and gives a little Force push to persuade the Kratosian to leave his safe cover, and as soon as the Scout is clear, Brodi expertly fires off 3 rounds, all hitting the exact same place and piercing thru the Scouts lighter armor, and thus the Scout himself. The Scout falls dead. Maneuvers such as this aren't exactly easy, as the Kratosians, oddly, aren't much affected by Force. Simple techniques such as Push or Lightning or Shield require vastly more amounts of concentration than normally required, even against other Force users. It is hypothesized by Jedi intellectuals; the Scribes, Wizards, etc, that somehow the armor the Kratosians possess, is somehow able to block Force influence and only with great amounts of concentration and highly skilled Jedi can their armor be overcome, and even then only briefly. Brodi downs another Scout, and quickly checks on the others to see how they are faring.

In the short time Master Comdo We has taken out 3 other Kratosian Tanks, but they are quickly moving in and with the Scouts continually moving to the flanks, despite all the Jedi have done, even the Apprentices taking out their fair share, albeit with many more shots, there are just too many. They are going to have to withdraw.

"Apprentice!" Master We shouts to get the attention of the closest Jedi Apprentice. "Take the other Apprentice and prepare the ship to take off. We leave everything behind!" Comdo commanded, knowing they'll need the skills of the two more senior Knights to defend the perimeter until they can depart; besides even any Padawan can prepare a ship for takeoff, even easier for a trained Apprentice.

"Right away Master We!," as she dashes away to grab the other Apprentice fighting beside Jedi Knight Hashimura.

"Gaden, move to cover those two, and be careful!" We shouted the order to Jedi Gaden that was in cover just 10 feet behind where Master We found cover.

"On it!" Just as the Jedi rose to dash to the next cover, Jedi Knight Lo'ain appeared and stood in front of Knight Gaden as he abruptly stopped, confused, and thus surprise followed soon by a wince from great pain as the large serrated blade was forced through his armor and chest. No one heard the Jedi gak and cough, much less the life leave his body as she quietly lowered Gaden softly to the teal grass and red clay jungle floor. The blade formed from the exoarmor returned to its Jedi Order Combat armor form, as she raised her other hand and this time a small energy blaster materialized and pointed at the back of Master Comdo We's head.

"ZCHYOO, CHYOO..CHYOO..CHYOO..CHYOO!"

The other Jedi jumped and spun quickly aiming their weapons at the racket that had just occurred behind them, just to see the body of Jedi Lo'ain drop to the jungle floor on top of Jedi Gaden…..her armor disintegrating, revealing the Kratosian Infiltrator beneath. The Jedi look upon the two in astonishment and then at the Droid Turret, designation _Choobies_ , smoke wafting from its barrels as it declares ' _Target Elminated'_ , and returns to its perimeter scan and again opening fire on nearby Kratosians.

"Must have gotten Knight Lo'ain before, while she and her apprentice were guarding the perimeter," Brodi concluded, then turned to face the encroaching enemy once again and firing his weapon.

The others nodded silently and quickly returned themselves to the battle at hand.

The Kratosian Senior Officer, 070014, known as 'Syr' to her Small Circle, paced inside her small and humble shelter, the same size all her troops use, but she gets one to herself, and demanded to know, from no one in particular, except for maybe the Scout standing in her midst, why the Jedi had not been overrun. Syr, Commander of Scout Group C081, consisting of 60 total Scout and Infiltrator Troops, 8 Assault Troops, and 10 Tank Troops, as well as a few various support and Medical Troops, while tracking and then losing a team of Sith Sabers, discovered a huge energy readout on their scanners where they last saw the Sith, and proceeded to investigate further. After day of making their way through the accursed thick jungle yet strangely beautiful jungle, and being just North of Sith's last known position, and thus the energy reading, she watched as the Jedi landed their ship, right in her way. This will simply not do. Although she does have standing orders not to engage neither Sith or Jedi, that has not stopped her before. She and her troops are usually able to hit them and wipe them out before they can report or call for reinforcements. In this case, her Scouts counted and reported no more than 8 Jedi and 4 Turrets. Easy. She prepped her Group for attack while the Jedi were still unloading their ship.

A few hours ago, She was accidentally discovered when two Jedi wandered through her Scout lines and nearly right into her camp. An Infiltrator got one, after the lone Jedi Knight took out 4 of her troops, but the Infiltrator will more than make up for that little setback. The other Jedi fled so quickly that it's not likely she even noticed her master fall. Or be replaced.

This will be easy.

Or so she thought.

It's midafternoon now and the news that reaches her is not pleasant. The Scout reported half of her Tank Troops gone, 43 Scouts and at least 1 Infiltrator, and only 2 Jedi casualties and 2 Droid Turrets put down. How could this be!? She will hold back the Assault Troops, in case the Jedi become brave. This should have been easy. Why are they here anyhow? Are the Jedi and Sith not at relative peace? Or could they be here tracking what she had found?

The Scout that brought her the news, Gex, is a good soldier, and a competent scout. The ones she lost were good soldiers. It will be her shame she lost so many. She will have to call off the attack. Retreat!? How embarrassing! How shameful. But it seems this is what she must to, to save the rest, regardless of what it will cost her personally.

'You're dismissed, and thank you." She says plainly but curtly.

Gex moves to her line of sight, salutes, and takes his leave.

She moves back to her holograph of the battlegrounds, a small 3D image of the Jedi Ship and their meager fortifications and the 6 blips signifying the remaining Jedi…..and what's this!? Two in the ship? Do they attempt to leave? Before she can call the Scout back in to give new orders…..a large Wulkarsk, a six limbed native predator, leaps through the opening in her shelter and pounces, with no time for her armor, and thus her weapons to deploy, the Wulkarsk gets the upper hand and pins her to her back on the floor of her shelter, its jaws positioned around her throat. She can see through the opening of her shelter a mass of other Wulkarsks ambushing and pouncing on those outside, caught completely off guard. Any weapon fire from her own is quickly subdued by the Wulkarsks or shot from above. The flapping wings of the Tikiarri overhead, come to salvage their prize, are the last thing she hears.

"The remaining two Tank units are retreating, as well as what appears to be many of the Scout and Infiltrator Units," exclaimed a young Jedi Apprentice.

 _Odd_ , thought Comdo We. _Maybe they suffered enough losses to pull back_ , but that is not typical of the Kratosian units he had run-ins with in the past.

At any rate, and not one to overlook an opportunity, they will seize the moment to pack up and move directly to the site, as their presence is surely known to any who may remain at the village, might as well drop in, gather what info they can, and get out.

"Pack it up and prepare to move it out! We move directly to the site! We'll gather what we can during the lull, and pull out before the Kratosians regroup or call reinforcements!" Comdo barked.

Just as when the battle started, and almost as if nothing had happened at all, the remaining Jedi begin to pack up their equipment, and displaying once again the well-orchestrated teamwork prominent in all Jedi, minus two Droid Turrets and minus one Jedi, the real Lo'ain. Gaden, is placed in a burial sack and loaded aboard for proper Jedi ceremony back at the Temple. The Infiltrator as well is taken for further study. Jedi Knight Lo'ain's body is never recovered and is lost to the deceptively beautiful jungles of Joralla.

The group loads up and the ship leaves the jungle floor. As they rise above this clearing and make way for another just several klicks south, toward the actual site of the occurrence. Now negating stealth and any surprise for any remaining Sith that may or may not be there, or possibly that mysterious being, they leave, swiftly and noisily, and perhaps avoid, unbeknownst to them, a slaughter just north of their position and the scavenged and stripped bodies of the very Kratosians they were defending against by a tribal raid of Tikiarri and Wulkarsks. There was only but one Kratosian Scout survivor fortunate enough to make his way to the ship and escaped the accursed planet.


	7. VI Kita

Kita

 _Jedi and Sith KCP Collaborative Weapon Effort – The KCP blaster is unique in that unlike a typical blaster, it uses Kyber crystals as well as Force power via the user to project powerful Kyber plasma blasts. These are bolts of plasma generated by the Kyber Crystal and shielded either with a Force capsule (some illegally owned models are modified with a magnetic field, like the setup for turrets and ships, for use by non-Force sensitive types) until the bolt meets its intended target. The bolt does not travel at light or even near light speed, unlike the laser blasters still quite common today. The plasma bolt, as it essentially is a superheated gas resulting from the power of the Kyber crystal (and dependent on the particular crystal, possess different properties as well just as with the old Light Sabers), and has mass, can 'only' move at hypersonic speeds. Some skilled Jedi and Sith can accelerate the bolt to sub-light. Still, with the little mass but at a great velocity as well as the heat energy the plasma carries within itself, the resulting hit is hundreds if not thousands of times greater force and damage than even the best Jedi with a Light Saber could ever hope to accomplish. This and the vast variety in which KCP technology can also be adapted to suit mission needs is also an immeasurable improvement over the Light Saber and Kyber Crystal Melee weapons used for so long by our Orders. I am honored to be a part of this new era, but also saddened and fearful for what this may bring after this business with the invading species calling themselves Kratosians. I fear I may have had part in creating something that will take the lives of so many if used improperly, and my Sith comrades, if but only temporary they may be, seem to relish in this creation, and testing it. I have learned much from them, some I did not realize and I hope will make me better for it. Only time will tell._

 _-Jedi Master J. Gurand_

The Sith Lord Daggoth looms, or rather lurks, and waits outside the small alcove of this fortress where the Dark Council usually meets. Daggoth begins to pace in the large empty passageway, with but himself and two, highly disciplined, very fierce looking guards donning combat armor, in the classic shade of red. He could dispatch them almost without effort. Such is his power and ferocity.

The fortress, a dark and vast labyrinth of a base, resides at the center of an almost unbelievably massive city. The city itself covers nearly three-quarters of the largest landmass on this planet and is made up of primarily of manufacturing as well as training grounds and the odd resource gathering. The rest of the city holds barracks, housing, and the odd watering hole for brave wayward travelers or off duty Sith troopers. The populace, though diverse, is mostly Sith. Those that are not Sith comprise of traders, merchants, servers, and prostitutes. The planet itself is a recent discovery, Sa'ard Thuul, its orange star once shone brightly and warmed the planet and its atmosphere. A temperate, picturesque, paradise of sorts for most of its history, Sa'ard Thuul now glows a dull orange haze as the star highlights all airborne pollutants with its light. The orange haze remains even at night due to the prodigious amount of light the city gives off and more light still from the bright white moons floating across the night sky. Warm, pleasant temperatures gave way, strangely, to cooler temperatures, with nights sometimes getting close to freezing, even in summer months. Sa'ard Thuul, the main one of several Sith home worlds where they recruit, train, and relax. A world whose appearance alone would depress most off-worlders, and whose crime and swift and severe Sith sense of justice put off all but the most deplorable sorts. Despite all this, this is not what troubles Daggoth. It's the waiting. Patience is not a virtue he possesses, much less understands.

"Enter Lord Daggoth ," beckons a voice from within.

The voice is toneless, mature, sinister and feminine….but Daggoth finds it smooth and oddly inviting. He recognizes it immediately.

"Grand Master Unang," Daggoth enters and faces, slightly bowing, but still making eye contact with her, as if to say, 'I respect you, but I could kill you.' "I am pleased you and the others were able to gather on such short notice." He says, looking about the room at the other Dark Council Members. Daggoth sits nearest the door from which he entered with the others at the perfectly formed and square, dark red marble-like table made with Sith magics and a chunk of ore hailing from an ancient long lost Sith world. It glows and hums faintly with dark energies.

Across from Daggoth sits Sith Grand Master Unang. High Arcanist to the Grand Lord. Rather short, she didn't even reach his shoulders, maroon-skinned, and dark eyed, Quarren female. Always cloaked and hooded to hide her four face tentacles and ebony black beak. _Squid head,_ Daggoth mused to himself. Definitely existing beyond the lifespan typical of her species, as is typical for Dark Side users keen on extending life spans, her skin darkened beyond her ilk's quintessential salmon and pinkish tint, thus more showing her great age. How old exactly, Daggoth did not know, nor did he care.

To his left is Sith Grand Master Destrous. High Judge. Another Zabrak, almost like Daggoth. _Almost_. Destrous is a hybrid, a Dathomirian to be exact, a human-Zabrak cross…..and an abomination in Daggoth's eyes. He hates him. And very likely Destrous feels the same towards Daggoth. But given his position, Daggoth can do nothing. And Destrous knows it, his smug face and pale almost grey skin. Much smaller in stature than Daggoth, not even 6 ft and a fragile, by Zabrak standards, frame. Destrous has only 3 horns, one at the front above his forehead and the other two equidistant on the sides towards the back of his head. His face bears no markings, as he has no true heritage. And no true honor. Backstabbing, cheating, and lying his way up the Sith Chain of Command, he has little in the way of real Force or combat abilities, but his silver tongue has won him just as many allies as enemies, and powerful allies at that. The Grand Lord of the Sith being one of Destrous' allies. _Imposter_ , Daggoth thinks, almost aloud. Daggoth's menacing red eyed gaze pierces right through Destrous, as he nods, curtly and crassly at Destrous.

And finally, the only other true Sith Lord in present company, and seated in the largest chair on Daggoth's right, Sith Lord Nullus, Grand Vizier, and Chancellor to the Emperor, the Sith Grand Lord. He is essentially, 2nd in command. The only one Daggoth respects, as much as he can, and even fears, if even but slightly, and even though Lord Nullus is human. A human of average height and build, a full head of grey and meticulously kept hair, and a fair but slightly wrinkled complexion with no facial hair to speak of, Nullus is nearly as imposing to behold as Daggoth himself, and Nullus doesn't even have horns. Dark brows hover above equally dark eyes….a cold and cunning demeanor and a stone-faced, emotionless visage to behold. A void of Dark Force energy replaces this one's soul. Just maybe able to match Daggoth in straight up combat, but his knowledge of the Force far surpasses Daggoths own, and quite likely possesses abilities and talents 2nd only to the Grand Lord himself. It is to him, Daggoth lowers his head with respect, and from him he fears retribution. Not of death, but of unimaginable and eternal, pain, suffering and humiliation that such a proud Zabrak could not withstand.

"What of your Sith Saber team, Lord Daggoth," Nullus breaks the silence in a commanding, orotund, and yet dead voice and jumps right to the point.

"…," _as if he already knows._ Daggoth opens his mouth to begin to speak, but instead, silently removes the holo recording with the wave of his hand from his robe, and sends it to the center of the table. The recording begins playback.

"Then it is as I have felt," Nullus began, his voice filling the chamber with cold as he spoke, "and as the Grand Lord has foresaw. There is a presence in the Force, a power I have not yet been able to explain. Yet here it is the evidence. In the flesh. The loss of the Sabers was well worth it."

The others peered meekly in the direction of Nullus, as if surprised by his comment, but ultimately, expected no less from such a Sith.

"There is something else, Lord Nullus," Daggoth started, hesitant to finish, "…the Jedi know of this being's existence as well. They captured the ship once the droid fled the planet in it."

"Then there is no time to waste, we must find this being before the accursed Jedi and destroy all they send for it," all remain silent as Nullus speaks, as it is always so. "I am holding this Council responsible for tracking and bringing this being to me. Failure will be your lives." Nullus rises from his seat and turns to leave.

"But that power! Surely you can't…..," Grand Master Destrous began but immediately was silenced as Nullus paused to turn, eyeing the Sith Grand Master. Destrous, lifted out of his seat from across the vast blood red table and pulled through the holo recording, his mouth open and limbs hanging limp, began to go even more pale than seemed possible and life slowly escaped his body, but suddenly fell off the edge of the table and upon the dark stone floor, 'color', and life returning to his colorless face. Nullus had not even raised a finger.

"Surely four powerful Sith such as yourselves, commanding such power and respect and vast numbers will be able to figure something out, or I will find someone who will." And with that, Nullus was gone, a Force Projection from whatever dark hole he called home.

The still sitting 3 Sith looked at Destrous, almost with a pity. They knew better, even though they were all thinking the same thing.

Daggoth, as WarMaster stood and ordered, "We will each bring 20 of our best, including any support droids, fortifications, and strong willed Arcanists to trap the Being, if even possible. I will also count on each of you to show at Joralla personally to lead your best in an effort to catch this thing." Daggoth looked right at Destrous and said that last part with such delight that he could scarcely contain the emotion, he was quite literally glowing with it.

The others barely managed a nod.

 _Such a fine day this turned out to be_ , as he got up almost smiling, and left the Council to begin his own preparations.


	8. VII Goba

**Goba**

 _Decrypted Kratosian Exploration Log – as intercepted by Jedi Cryptologists and Code Breakers- "…it would seem the Magic Users have yet to figure out our exoarmor or our origins and intentions. It is truly sad a peace could not be brokered between our kinds. It would seem that we Kratosians are doomed to war, leaving one Galaxy full of strife and war simply to wander into another. It would also seem that life across this grand and expansive Universe is not so different, even so very far apart. Alas, we will do what must be done to ensure our survival. We have come too far and long to simply give in to local warmongers and haters of peace…even if it means galaxy wide domination…"_

 _Unknown Kratosian_

The star cruiser was immense. Each time the Commander beholds its glory, he is awestruck every time his own meager ship approaches it. This was home. Floating at the edge of Galactic Space in closely guarded secret coordinates, the enormous ship, easily 1000 times larger than any conventional Sith or Jedi cruiser he had witnessed, was but one in an equally mesmerizing flotilla. The seat of Power, Government, Trade, Kratosian culture and history, everything was headquartered on the big star cruiser called Lo. The vast ship seemed to stretch impossibly out of visual line of sight. And with 10s of thousands of tiny ships buzzing in and out, mostly freighters ferrying supplies or Kratosians to and fro about the vast flotilla. These were ships obviously built exclusively for space travel, as they are simply too large for landing on even the largest worlds. The 4 main star cruisers, referred to as Star Explorers, in the Common Tongue are Lo, Sho, Vest, and Shyr. They all, despite their size, follow the same basic form as the Commandant's own ship, albeit on a much, much larger scale. Also as with his ship, function comes before all else, so smooth contours and rounded edges are the order of the day, no unnecessary bulges or spaces appear anywhere. No unusable space, and no space left unused. No unnecessary or excess of material was consumed in the creation of these space faring behemoths of ships. All 4 were similar in appearance as looking as sort of a large slightly flattened worm or serpent. The broad gentle curves of the satin silvery grey hull about the top and 'keel' of the vast ship, made an ellipses if viewed head on. They kept this shape until converging on the fore and aft section in a broad, blade sort of shape.

"Lo to unidentified incoming vessel, please ID yourselves and state business or you will be destroyed. This is your one and only warning. "

Commandant Fyr nodded at his helmsman who tuned to Lo's communication array and pointed at Commandant, signaling he was clear to speak.

"This is 000759 of the light frigate Sym, ship number SSLF000759 reporting. Call upon and gather the Senate. I must see them. I have urgent business." (Ship numbers are almost always matched to their Captains or Commandants, not having a ship of your 'name' was considered shameful as it usually meant one lost their ship).

After a brief moment of silence, a voice came back. "You're clear Commandant 000759. SSLF000759 Helmsman, proceed to Hangar Bay 42. A party will await the Commandant and rations and rest await your crew."

"Happy to be home. 000759 of SSLF000759 out."

A small entourage greets Commandant Fyr as he departs his ship and sets foot on the Lo Hangar Bay deck. The simple shapes and smooth contours of the bulkheads, and symphony of greys, silvers, and blacks instill a professional, calm, and sort of serenity, at least for Kratosians. There is a sort of simple beauty to behold here, but as the Commandants own ship, Sym, function over form applies here as well.

It is normally considered rude and inconsiderate in Kratosian culture to be called upon and not meet your caller in person, but in a unique case such as war with an unknown enemy, considerations are made and caution is at the forefront of just about any decision.

"000759, a pleasure and sincerest apologies Senator Myr could not be here in person. She will be meeting you, along with the others in the Grand Council Chamber immediately."

"My thanks and understanding 215499," Fyr says as he briskly walk past the welcoming party. "I too apologize for my haste and for ignoring tradition but the matter is urgent and I must see the Senate immediately", Fyr says in a quickening stride as the party struggle to keep up.

"I know my way, and thanks again to you all, but if you have other duties for which to attend, I shan't disgrace myself by running in front of you." Running, considered rude and impolite by Kratosians in such a formal setting, especially when the runner is a high ranking officer or official.

And with that they all turn away and leave his side to return to their various posts. Fyr breaks out in full sprint. Ignoring the stares and gasps of those he speeds by. It was quite a site, especially given one his size in his deployed exo-armor.

Right before the Grand Council Chamber, Fyr halts, composes himself and enters the Chamber. He is met with a large funnel shaped room with seating for all the Senate, with a podium for a speaker in the lowest center point. The room is awash in greys and unpainted or uncolored metals and alloys. Some shiny, some brushed to a matte finish. This place is all business and seemingly lack of any warmth and emotion. A native of the Galaxy, if ever invited here, would likely feel out of place and very uncomfortable.

"Commandant Fyr, welcome and pleased you made it safe and sound. We have gathered as per your request and we do apologize for not meeting you in the hangar. What can the Senate do for you," an unseen voice from the back asks.

"No need for apologies, I understand, for this is a confusing and difficult time. We face two new enemies that are shamefully not new friends or allies. It is perhaps our fault we are now in this predicament, but that is for future scholars and historians to discuss. For now we know we are not only at an uneasy cease fire with not one, but two relatively unknown factions, calling themselves the Jedi and the Sith, that seem to be able to use some sort of magic, and while I cannot tell you the reason as to why we are unaffected, I can tell you that as a military leader, they too also realize this and are very likely working to change our circumstances. Further investigation and questioning of prisoners from both sides revealed that although they both seem to tap into this magic, called 'The Force', it was also brought to our attention that the similarities between these two end there. The Jedi, a so called peace keeping force, continually claim they only act to maintain peace and balance. The Sith on the other hand, which we are only but too acquainted with in their ways of war and their convictions, seem to seek only to destroy us and the Jedi."

"I beg forgiveness for the interruption, but Commandant, we know these things. Is there a point and a reason for this and the urgency of this meeting you called for?" Another unseen, seemingly disembodied voice echoed from within the coned walls of the Senate Chamber.

"Yes, and I apologize, I sought only to remind and review what we know to the Senate. In reference to the Sith and Jedi seeking to take action and find a weakness, I only ask you to recall the events at the rocky world we inhabited and called our own, Syber. The ambush by the Jedi and Sith there caught us completely off guard and cost the lives of many of our own, not to mention the capture and unknown fate of 1000s. And this was but a refueling and mining outpost, not a true settlement world and therefore less population dense. It means they are learning quickly and we may not have the upper hand for long. Also, as you, the Senate, are aware, we are but limited in number, numbered from 000000 to 999999. And without the ability of our true home to repopulate, such a loss as the one on Syber was one we could not afford, nor tolerate, so we withdrew. We have remained in relative peace, despite the actions of a few of our own rogue and strong willed."

"Commandant, are you hinting at a war with the Jedi and Sith. I would remind you that we are limited in resource and number, and to war with the whole Galaxy, is simply preposterous and suicidal!" A rather tall, but lanky, likely a former scout, older Kratosian exclaimed matter of factly, and with controlled emotion.

"Senator, we have remained at peace, until recently. We have discovered one of our Scout Groups, C081, and the Groups Senior Officer 070014,or Syr to those who may have known her, was tracking a Sith team of Sabers, I believe they are called, to some source of great power, a living being, on a planet called Joralla by the Galaxies Natives. Unfortunately, before she was able to discover more, C081s only surviving scout states they ran into some Jedi and then unfortunately, some hostile indigenous life and sadly, perished. It is possible the Sith and Jedi seek this being as a weapon, or maybe to just understand it out of curiosity, regardless, given the open hostilities against us on that world, and the loss of yet more precious lives, and to attempt to halt whatever the Sith and Jedi seek to do with that being, and for that, yes, I call for your vote for war against both the Jedi and Sith."

"And what of the being?" a voice called out from high above.

"That being, or whatever it is, has posed no threat to us and is of no concern of mine. Our efforts would be concentrated on repelling, and if necessary, beating the Sith and Jedi into submission to where they are forced into peace."

"Should we not talk first, see if peace would be desired?" another asked.

"Sadly I believe that point may be behind us. The Jedi and Sith move about the Galaxy in battle ships and armored cruisers full of soldiers and droids. I will not say I would not try if given the opportunity, but I must strongly suggest we move now and assume peace is no longer an option."

"Very well, Commandant, you have my vote."

"And mine."

"Here, here!"

"I as well!"

Soon the chamber erupted in near unanimous agreement. The Kratosians were officially going to war.

Commandant Fyr gave his thanks and lowered his hefty bulk to show fealty and loyalty as well as his respect for the Council. It is for the Council he serves and why he is. It is for the Council, his ship, and his people he will fight and die if he must. The return walk to his ship sees the Commandant now heavy with burden. He knows many lives will be lost, but he feels for his kind to ultimately survive, this is the only way. They cannot go back. This has to be their new home. Upon his return to his ship, he gives his helmsman the order to transmit his base to mobilize. The target is Joralla.


	9. VIII Hunto

Hunto

Sith Assimilation Holocube and Training Module 328 – "It would seem the invaders are immune to all but direct hits of KCP Blaster fire. It also appears they are fairly immune to Force Lightning, Choke, Plague, Maelstrom, etc. Some of our more powerful Sith Brethren and Sistren have had some success in mind manipulation, but these Sith can be seemingly singled out and dispatched as such immense concentration leaves him very much vulnerable. From what we have gathered from the dissection, study, and interrogation of the prisoners we captured, they are somewhat biological in nature, but that remarkable armor seems to be the source of all their successes, as well as our failures. We must find a way to harness this power. Such a weapon would make us unstoppable! Alas, even though we have been at odds with them longer than the feeble Jedi, it seems we have no more understanding of this enemy than the Jedi. We must push and continue efforts. Live specimen must be captured for further interrogation and study. We must know the source of their power and from where they hail."

Setting down in what must have once been a pleasant little village, on this rather unpleasant world, the scene would have been unrecognizable had any native inhabitant been alive to see it now. To the Jedi, it was a scene of destruction, devastation, and loss of life. They all felt it. The pain. The suffering. Much had conspired here. The Jedi once again, moving as a well-rehearsed play, set up a perimeter and what remaining defenses they had, just in case. Computers and scanners and even a small lab were set up for more detailed investigation. Small hovering saucer like droids were let loose, often called 'hounds', they set about the ruins and wreckage, seeking and scanning anything and everything. They will help the Jedi paint a better picture of the area before the incident, as well as a better idea to what had happened. Comdo We suspects there was more here than just what they saw in the holo vid recording.

"Here's another villager, ugg….ewww it's bad…the smell!" Gacked the now Masterless Jedi Apprentice.

Brodi walks over to the Apprentice and the body, Type 3 rifle in hand…..no surprises this time, peers and looks over at the body, the 17th they've discovered hidden about and literally stuffed all about the village in hidey holes all over.

"Sucked dry, just like the others, life force was consumed, left just a shell, a mass of flesh and bone." Jagen noted. "What's your name again Apprentice?"

"Meghan", the Apprentice replied, covering her nose and averting her eyes from the scene before her. She has seen enough this day to last a lifetime. And with the mental acuity of a Jedi, not anything she will soon, if ever, forget.

"The doings of that Abeloth creature you think?" Jagen, trying to make conversation.

"Possibly, from what we've seen from the holo, this all looks about her style. She must have been here a while to wipe out an entire village like this. It's a wonder they did not seek help." Jedi Apprentice Meghan responded while pondering at her own observations.

"She was also a shapeshifter it would seem, it's very likely they were not even aware, until it was too late."

"True."

She was not unpretty; Jagen took notice, very cute even, not understanding why he had not realized it before. Wow, maybe his mind was more clouded than he thought. She was human, from one of the newly discovered worlds from previously Unknown Space, he forgets the name. Likely one of the billions of refugees that fled to Republic Space as the Sith moved in. She was rather small, petite even, fair caramel skin and abnormally large bright green eyes popped from her small round face, with a button of a nose taking up space below them. Her hair, which had been up the entire journey, now hung long and flowing, likely came undone as a result of the recent skirmish, was a dark woody brown, with bright red highlights, common among her people. He followed the length of her hair down her back as it terminated right at her round bubble butt, quite noticeable in the form fitting combat armor protruding voluptuously from her small frame. _She works out_ , he deduced, and leering, quickly snapped to and resumed the chat as they moved to the next 'hound' droid signaling it had discovered something.

"So where are you from, Meghan?"

"It's a world called Ka'Naat. It's a temperate world, lots of ocean, great green mountains, and large friendly cities. We are an older people, our histories show we've been there for thousands of years, but we did not began to travel space until just a century or so ago. Hell, we weren't even capable of leaving our own solar system until the Jedi and Sith showed up."

"You dislike the fact we showed up?"

"Well not necessarily, but showing up and bringing a war between races and beings we had no idea even existed is not exactly a warm and friendly hello. Despite that, I believe us as a world, as a people needed it. We were beginning to turn on one another, your arrival allowed us to rally sort of, especially after we saw what the Sith were capable of. We are a peaceful people mostly, we love art and food and music. The Sith seem to wish to destroy all that, so it seemed only natural we flee to the Republic."

"Will you go back?" Jagen asked curiously, as if he had plans.

"How can one go back after seeing all this, not just here and the dead and suffering, but the good too? The diversity throughout the Galaxy, and worlds almost as beautiful as my own," she said with a wry smile. "I'm sure some will return, but I think for me, my place is to see as much of the Galaxy as I can. We are a people of culture after all, and what better way to experience life than to experience countless other cultures."

"Yes, but some may not be so pleasant as you,"… _nor as beautiful_ , Jagen kept that last little tidbit to himself.

They made their way into the grassy fields that surround the village as they approached a lone hound droid. Two bodies lay in the red clay. Naked. Anything of use picked clean by roving scavengers or possibly Tikiarri.

"That must be Abeloth and the Sith Master." Jagen states, as he looked upon the bare, empty husks that were once warm and bright with life and energy.

"Guess that means we can confirm that Abeloth is in fact no more. A good thing right?"

"I guess. She did seem quite evil. But that also depends on whom or what killed her. Is it friend or foe?" Jagen finished.

They bag the bodies in silence as they did the rest, and placed them with the rest on the ship. Family and relatives will be notified if any can be located and remains will be turned over to them. Those who do not have surviving loved ones or cannot be identified will be cremated back at the Jedi Temple.

Jedi Knight Jagen Brodi and Jedi Apprentice Meghan Tularri spent the next few moments away from the death and destruction of the village, walking around the perimeter jungle tree line that surrounds and engulfs this place in isolation, now dead and silent, like a tomb. They walk and talk, and try to forget. Their thoughts and conversation of happy things and of the things two young folks of the opposite sex often chat about. They make their way back towards the camp; they walk to the ship and begin to unpack their gear. As Meghan leans over the deck of the ship due to her short stature to push her pack deeper into ship's hull, Jagen once again notices her comely behind as she bends over slightly, her torso resting flat on the deck and an adorable little hop in effort to acheieve her goal causes Jagen's heart to skip a beat.

"Your thoughts deceive you, and embarrass me. I would blush had I the capability of doing so, young Jagen." B'Vos spoke aloud in his deadpan baritone voice, nearly loud enough for the next village to hear, wherever that was.

Jagen, immediately realizing he was busted, raised his eyes to find Meghan looking over her left shoulder right at him. She began to blushing and returned upright, weapon and pack still in her grasp. She turned away, still blushing, fondled with her weapon a bit, and smiled at Jagen before nervously stepping back from the ship and scurrying off. Jagen, now also bright red partly due to embarrassment, but also very angry towards B'Vos for once again reading his thoughts, turned to face the big Pho Ph'eahian, only to notice all eyes on him as he spun around. All had stopped working to see what the Pho Ph'eahian was on about. Even Choobies, the hero turret, had its aural and visual scanners in Jagen's general direction, as if to listen in, eager for the drama about to unfold. Before Brodi could get out a word, Comdo We, like a Force Ghost, materialized between them and leering at Jagen said in a commanding and very much intimidating yet hushed so curious ears could not hear, "Jedi Knight Brodi, this is hardly the time or place for such thoughts! And as a Jedi, absolutely forbibben! You have not only shamed yourself, but embarrassed Jedi Apprentice Meghan in the process! Perhaps it is best for you to remain here and guard the ship. Relieve Apprentice Sho. Do not set foot away from your post. Is that clear?"

"Yes Master We", Brodi said meekly. Knowing a harsher punishment awaited him when they returned. How he longed for a battle about now, maybe even he could perish in it as a hero and what had just occurred would be forgotten. Knowing B'Vos, he would likely be certain to read the whole affair at Brodi's eulogy, or have it cast in fine metals on his tomb. "He enjoyed the fight, and he enjoyed the bubbly butt…," Jedi Knight Jagen Brodi mused, cheering himself up a bit, cracked a small smile at the thought, as he made his way inside the ship.

"Ships inbound! Unknown, not responding to hails. Possibly Sith!" A voice called vehemently.

Brodi snapped awake, the boredom of a few hours ship watch had overcame him, and he fell into a deep dreamy sleep. Luckily, no one had seen. At least that was his hope.

"…ETA approximately 2 minutes! Scanning multiple armed, possible, hostile forces. At least 40!" The voice continued.

Weapon already in hand, Brodi bounded off the ship, brushing past Apprentice Sho, likely headed onboard to message for reinforcements, only to be met with a sight of Sith ships on the darkening horizon. The dark silhouette and distortion of the bloody red background from ship thrusters against the fading, setting Red Sun was a gut wrenching sight to behold. It would seem Brodi was about to get his wish.


End file.
